The Lost Elements: A Quest of Bravery (OLD)
by Clef Jumper
Summary: Silver Stream lives a normal (but boring) life in Ponyville. She wishes for adventure, and soon discovers she is destined for a mission to recover what are known as the "Lost" Elements of Harmony. She isn't alone as two other ponies are set with the same task. As their adventure continues, an unknown threat follows dangerously close behind. (Rated T for potential mature-ish themes)
1. Prologue -- A New Magic

(A/N): Like the great impressionsguy (seriously, look him up he's amazing), I will be putting little snippets before my chapters, but not for the prologue or chapters 1-4 as they've been posted already. These author's notes are filler because I hate how the chapter and title get unaligned because of FanFiction. Anyway, happy reading! Ignore author's notes for Chapter 1 through Chapter 4. They're meaningless.

* * *

~ Prologue ~

A New Magic

She lived in a void of stars, a hidden dimension from the land of beings below. Watching over the entire land, she kept everything in balance and controlled the flow of light versus dark forces. It was an enormous task to carry out, but thankfully, being it her utmost duty, her power as the goddess of the celestial realm helped aid her abilities in one of the highest honors many ponies could only ever dream of having.

Her mane was extremely long and wavy, but not flowy like her two daughters that ruled the land their subjects had named Equestria. At her roots, her mane was a deep violet that blended together smoothly with a glorious golden blonde that produced the bottom of her mane, where the tips shone a faint, heavenly white. Her tail followed the same fashion as her mane. Her irises near the eyelid held the same deep violet shade of her mane, but her right eye blended into a glimmering silver while her left eye blended into a rich blue, representing the day and the night. Her coat was a soothing creamy white and faded into the same blue as her left eye at her hooves, dotted with small, white spots that resembled glimmering stars. Her grand wings and alicorn horn faded in this same manner. Finally, her cutie mark was a small black silhouette of the moon over a larger and brighter glowing sphere of the sun. This was a simple, yet so powerful cutie mark for her purpose: to watch over her two daughters and the entire land alike.

As countless measures of two-dimensional screens circled lazily around the alicorn, some displaying a moment that occurred simultaneously in the land down below while others displayed images and references for review, the goddess watched her youngest daughter, Lunar Eclipse, who came to be known as only Luna, with a graceful motion of her head raise the moon and stars for the ponies across the land to softly fall asleep to. It was like the calming light set a silent spell upon them, sending them peacefully into a state of rest for the extent of the night before waking up to the jubilance of the day.

The celestial goddess gazed upon her daughter, a look of pride in her unmatched eyes for the path she had chosen after so many years of exile as punishment given to her by her older sibling, Celeste Eclipse, who like her younger sister went by a different name. To the ponies of the land, she went by Celestia, her purpose to raise the sun to bring forth the day after a night of calm and peaceful slumber. "Oh, Luna," the goddess whispered softly from the void of stars, "I miss you and your sister both so much, and I wish you had gotten the chance to see me when I was still alive."

Suddenly, with her incredible ability to perceive the stability of life amongst the land, she sensed a shifting in the magical balance of Equestria. The goddess recognized the feeling as one of new magic surfacing, though strangely, she didn't detect anything dark or corrupt in its purposes for emerging.

Closing her eyes silently, a translucent silver aura surrounded her horn as she located another screen within the swirling mass around her. Once she had pinpointed it, she teleported it to appear next to the existing figure of Luna. This new image held a map of Equestria, and a pulsing orb of pure white was glowing over two separate locations on the map: one over the Everfree Forest near the goddess' daughters' old castle and the other over a swamp in the southeast corner of Equestria that was known as the Hayseed Swamps.

"Could it be?" the goddess wondered aloud as she selected the orb over the Everfree Forest with her magic, another smaller screen surfacing instantly, hovering a few inches in front of the lower left corner of the map. In its center stood a crystal-like tree with six different colored and shaped emblems known as the Elements of Harmony, created long ago for the protection of Equestria. This tree came to be known as the Tree of Harmony, originally holding six emblems as it did now, though five of the six Elements had much simpler shapes in the past. The tree pulsed with a glowing energy every few seconds, sending shimmering waves down its trunk and through its roots. It seemed this was the source of new magic the goddess had sensed.

Finally, she selected the second orb pulsing over the swamplands, this time forming another screen the same size as the one showing the Tree of Harmony over the lower right corner of the map. A dark and gloomy swamp filled with drooping trees covered in vines and moss was shown. A fair amount of space was cleared in the damp grass and marsh, and in the center of this clearing a spot pulsed and glowed in the same manner as the Tree of Harmony did on its adjacent screen.

"I think it is," the goddess marveled, then smiled contentedly. "After thousands of years, harmony in Equestria has sought to fix the mistake I made in the past." With her alicorn magic, she replaced the images in front of her with three different screens, each displaying a still front view picture of one pony, though all of them were pegasi. "I believe these three will fit the roles I intended perfectly."

The pony on the far left had a light silvery grey coat, bright green eyes, and a blonde mane with a single bleach white streak through its center. Around her neck was wrapped a white bandana she had found when fleeing from her birth home in Los Pegasus to a small village just south of Equestria's capital city. She kept it as a reminder that she could be whoever she wanted to be, and nopony could hold her back from that. "Silver Stream," the goddess stated proudly, "the Element of Bravery."

The pony with the middle of the three screens had a pale yellow coat, soft pastel green eyes, and a short and slightly waved powder blue mane. Her extensive tail was tied up into a messy bun with a matching pastel green band to keep it out of the way of any work. "Dewdrop Meadow," the goddess said, "the Element of Perenniality."

Finally, the pony on the far right had a soft cream colored coat, sprightly sky blue eyes, and a long, messy orange mane with a yellow streak through its middle. "And Sunny Day," the goddess finished, "the Element of Light."

She gazed at the three ponies for a few moments longer before saying finally, "You three are the final missing pieces of the Elements of Harmony. Once they have all been reunited, no evil can stand in your way."

Then, she turned her gaze gravely to Silver Stream, her expression darkening. "I must warn you Silver Stream," she began grimly, "you must never let your guard down even once around the ones you hold close to you in the future." Pausing to give the screen of Silver a sympathetic look, she said at last, "There will be a time when you have to say goodbye to one and possibly more, perhaps even permanently."

The goddess turned her gaze lastly to Sunny Day and said, "Sunny Day, you must be able to fight the burning flames of anger after your loss." She looked away from the screen for a moment and continued, "I know how it feels to lose those so dear to me, but you must learn to cope without them." Then, the goddess turned her gaze back to Sunny Day and finished-

"It is your decision that determines the fate of Equestria."


	2. Chapter 1 -- Message from the Unknown

(A/N): Just a filler.

* * *

~ Chapter 1 ~

Message from the Unknown

Silver Stream sat on a miniature cloud hanging low above the village of Ponyville. She faced the setting sun, watching it slowly sink closer to the horizon. It was a ritual to her, of sorts. Silver never had much to do, so she would always watch the sunset after every day unless she had other plans, which she never usually did.

"There you are," a voice sounded behind Silver that caught her off guard. She turned to see Rainbow Dash, a pegasus who she first met when she moved to Ponyville, specifically because of beginning her training at the renowned Wonderbolts Academy a few years back. They had been close friends for years, and she was truly the first friend Silver had made in her life, though she never told anypony why. "I've been looking all over for you," Rainbow continued as she sat down beside Silver on the cloud.

"Why?" Silver had known for some time that Rainbow possessed one of the six Elements of Harmony, specifically Loyalty for never abandoning her friends in any situation. This detail alone kept her extremely busy, what with being tied up with what Rainbow called "friendship missions" and having to run off to the edges of Equestria every once in awhile.

"Twilight's been out of town for a few days," she explained as Silver Stream gazed out into the distance. "She said something about an important meeting with Princess Celestia and Luna, and there hasn't been much call for any friendship missions. Basically, I'm not as busy as I used to be."

"Whoop-dee-doo," Silver mumbled unenthusiastically. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rainbow cock her head and smile.

"Aren't you just the definition of excited, huh?" she joked. Silver Stream turned to look at Rainbow Dash, an unamused look on her face. All the blue pegasus did was laugh and try not to fall over in the process. When Silver kept giving her the same stone cold glare, Rainbow eventually noticed and got quickly out of her fit of laughter.

Giving an exasperated sigh, Silver began in a troubled voice, "I just wish I could be like you and all of your friends." She looked down at her hooves to avoid eye contact with Rainbow Dash as she continued, "Go on adventures, have lots of fun, and," she paused to think momentarily, "you know, not be bored all the time."

"Come on, you're not _that_ bored," Rainbow tried to cheer her up, playfully elbowing her in the arm. It didn't lighten the mood.

"You wanna bet?" she countered and cast Rainbow an annoyed glance.

Rainbow Dash bit her lip and avoided Silver's gaze. Then, she grinned sheepishly and gave her a half-hearted laugh.

Silver rolled her eyes and grumbled, turning her eyes back to the sunset. "Case and point," she said monotonously.

"Touché," Rainbow submitted, a trace of disappointment in her tone.

"Well," Silver began sarcastically, "since we _both_ have nothing better to do, why don't we just do nothing together."

"Great idea," Rainbow Dash said happily, purposely taking Silver's sardonic attitude as one of sincerity. "We can be productive and go do nothing at my house." Rainbow beat her wings a few times in steady rhythm and hovered over the small cloud, her eyes shining in the soft light of the sun. "This isn't an option, either," she added, bearing a sly smirk.

"Why do I even bother with you?" Silver Stream asked herself aloud, gradually rising as she unfurled her wings tipped in what shone faintly of silver to fly level with Rainbow Dash.

"Maybe because you're my _best_ friend?" Rainbow pointed out in a lively air, giving Silver an equally bright smile.

"Unfortunately," Silver added under her breath, a smug smile spreading across her face.

"I heard that," Rainbow interjected, shoving Silver in a tongue-in-cheek manner. "Some way to treat the pony who saved you from unbearable loneliness at the Academy all those years ago."

"Oh, please," Silver scoffed. "You and I both know that was out of pity."

"True," Rainbow admitted, then added, "but look at where that pity got us now." In the meaningful silence that followed, she glanced back at the sunset behind her sinking ever closer to the far off horizon. "Come on, it's getting late."

"Since when did you care about when it got late or not?" Silver remarked and flew shoulder to shoulder next to Rainbow.

"Since I remembered we have Wonderbolts practice tomorrow," Rainbow answered, her speed increasing gradually as they continued their flight. "We better get to my house before the sun sets completely."

"Sure, it's because of practice tomorrow and not the fact that I'm sleeping over," Silver mentioned sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "Nope, not because of that at all."

"Just shut up and keep my pace," Rainbow Dash dismissed her rashly, but flashed her a brief smirk to make sure she took it as a joke. Silver happily obliged and smiled back at Rainbow Dash as they continued the rest of their flight back to her house.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

 _Silver Stream didn't know where she was or why she was there. She was floating without having to use her wings, like she was submerged in water or in a place where gravity was not an issue. Something else that struck her as odd was that she was surrounded by stars and galaxies. She couldn't really be in space, could she? Everything looked calming and strikingly beautiful, yet Silver couldn't help but feel a bit worried about this rather peculiar setting she was in._

" _Silver Stream," a fluid disembodied voice called out to her. Silver glanced around for a few moments in search of anypony else near her, but she found herself to be alone. "Silver Stream," the voice called out again, a bit louder this time._

" _Who are you?" Silver asked the voice, a sinking pain of dread beginning to set in the pit of her stomach. Something was definitely at fault here._

" _What you ask is not important at this moment," the voice responded in the same smooth tone as it had before. "There is something you must be informed of."_

 _Most of the pegasus's worry turned swiftly into habitual impatience. "What kind of_ thing _says that their name isn't important?" she retorted to nopony in particular, folding her hooves up against her chest in frustration to mask the fear she still had left inside._

" _Silver Stream, there isn't time to complain," the voice responded in a slightly harsher air, a subliminal warning to stay silent._

 _Silver closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves down. It was probably for the best to just obey what this voice asked of her as she was unfamiliar with this new place. "Okay, okay, I'm listening."_

" _Tomorrow near noon, the one many across the land call Princess Twilight will take you, your loved one, your closest friend, and two others to the capital city to inform you of an important mission you have been chosen for."_

" _Hold on a second," Silver interrupted the voice, closing her eyes to try and process what it had just said. "A mission? What mission?"_

" _That you will be informed of while you are in Canterlot," the voice replied. "Until then, keep an open mind and remain calm through these next few days. Do you understand?"_

 _Silver Stream was silent for a moment, trying to make sense of this strange environment and what exactly this voice was expecting of her. Why was it also_ her _that had been chosen for whatever this "mission" was supposed to be? Silver knew she couldn't find this answer at this point in time, so she looked deep inside herself for what she should do, and she told herself-_

Be brave, Silver Stream. _Taking another deep breath, she gazed out into the open void of stars and replied firmly, "I understand."_

" _Very well," the voice said, sounding a bit more content now that Silver was cooperating for a change. "No matter what occurs, you must keep this conversation confidential from both Peach Cobbler and Rainbow Dash until they understand fully what is going on."_

" _How do you know who Peach and Rainbow are?" Silver questioned, her temper returning because of how much this voice knew about her life and others lives, as well. "And why do you want to keep our talk under wraps?"_

" _There is no time to explain the details," the voice replied a bit quickly, seeming as if time for her to speak was running out. "All you have to know for now is what I have already informed you. Farewell, Silver Stream, until next time."_

 _Before Silver could so much as lift a hoof to reply, the stars surrounding her in the void twinkled curiously. A fleeting moment in time passed in total silence, then these stars began to swell gradually, their humble shimmer now transforming into a painful glare. A voice different than the one the silver pegasus had spoken to moments ago echoed over the perpetual hum of the stars effortlessly, calling out into the void like it was puzzled, "Silver…? Silver…?" Soon, the stars grew too bright to watch, and everything around Silver shone a blindingly bright white. All the while the echoing around her turned quickly into an urgent cry as it now cut sharply through the aggravating buzz of the void, "Silver! Silver!"_

 _Once Silver couldn't make out anything except for a garish endless white and the incessant moan of the convoluted surroundings, she shut her eyes tight and wailed out, "Somepony help me!" Her plea was not answered, and the light only continued to grow to a point where it pierced severely through the pegasus's eyelids. A searing pain began to blaze through Silver's head, and tears formed at the corners of her eyes. The voice calling out to Silver rang through her ears uncomfortably, making her head throb more. "Silver! Silver, wake up!"_

" _Wake up?" she wondered aloud, her eyes opening in confusion. The bright light now appeared as a nothing more than a bland white space, no longer blinding her eyes. A ripping pain still coursed through her head, however. As stupid of a question she knew she was about to ask to absolutely no one, she couldn't help herself and voiced, "Am I dreaming?"_

" _Come on, Silver, wake up!" the voice transitioned to a sound more natural, originally sounding like it called from a mountain top to having a conversation face-to-face. Finally, Silver opened her eyes just a fraction, the white space around her fading gently away whilst a figure with muddled features formed before her. Unable to make it out as her vision was still blurred from adjusting to this new environment, she pondered her next action silently. The oddly drunken state she was in was clearly not assisting her train of thought as she felt more inclined to ignore and forget everything that was happening and just sleep off the ache in her head, but her eagerness kept her from the confines of restraint._

" _Who are you?" Silver asked the figure while slowly reaching out a hoof to test her depth perception. With a slow and undefined motion, Silver's hoof was swatted softly aside._

" _Who do you think?" the figure said, her voice strikingly familiar to the pegasus. After a few heavy seconds of disorientation, she opened her eyes steadily, her lids fluttering only slightly a few times. The blurriness around her fixed itself bit by bit, her surroundings clearing up easily._

"Rainbow Dash?" Silver Stream asked, a pair of unmistakable magenta eyes becoming more distinct with frustration as her hazy vision continued to dissipate.

"Silver, is something wrong with you?" Rainbow Dash asked, her tone displeased, but also worried. "Why are you acting so weird?"

Silver gave the light blue pegasus a dazed look accompanied with subtle hints of drowsiness as she sat herself up on the bed haphazardly. "Gimme a sec," she slurred slowly, still trying get a hold of her consciousness from the dream she just had. She winced suddenly at the fresh wave of burning pain that pounded inside her head as she was remembering what exactly the dream was about. "What do you mean?"

"You… you were talking in your sleep," Rainbow explained. "You were muttering something about how _whatever_ you were talking to knew about a… mission?" The blue pegasus stepped away from her best friend to the bedroom window nearby. Sunlight spilled in through the thin pane, setting the room in a warm, placid glow. "After that, you just mumbled words I couldn't quite catch," she continued, gazing off to the world that lay outside, "but soon you were screaming for help, and I was starting to get anxious. I didn't know what else to do but wake you up."

Silver Stream dragged herself clumsily out of the bed as she listened to Rainbow, taking a few moments to gain her wavering balance. The effects of slumber were just beginning to wear off as she made her way cautiously to Rainbow Dash. "Screaming?" she echoed then. "Oh, gosh, I had no idea." She had to think quickly of a way to brush off her behavior without suspicion. "Come to think of it," the silvery pegasus thought aloud, producing a false justification to feed to her friend, "I was having a really bad nightmare just before you came to wake me up."

Silver came up to Rainbow's right side, and she turned to meet Silver's gaze. Her eyes looked more somber than distressed like they were mere seconds ago. "You wouldn't lie to me, Silver, would you?" she asked her quietly.

Silver Stream met her friend's magenta eyes with sincerity as she replied gently, "Rainbow Dash, I'm your best friend. I would never lie to you or keep anything from you." It was then that she realized her own mistake and thought gravely, _But I am now._

"I know you wouldn't," Rainbow admitted, looking slightly embarrassed. "I guess I just got a little worked up over nothing."

Silver smiled, giving a soft laugh as she nudged Rainbow's shoulder playfully. "It just shows you care about others, is all," she told her with a lighthearted attitude.

"Loyalty can't help itself," Rainbow said and shrugged casually. Turning her gaze again to the bedroom window nearby, she mumbled, "You'd better go home to get ready for practice."

"Don't act like that," Silver teased her. "You know you'll see me again." Making her way to the doorway of the room, Silver turned her head to look back at Rainbow one last time. "Bye, Dash."

Rainbow didn't turn her head to respond, but Silver could practically see the smirk on her face as Rainbow laughed and replied, "See you at practice, Sil."

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

After Silver Stream's rather hasty flight to Cloudsdale, where most practices for the Wonderbolts were held, she found her way to the asphalt runway where all practices started and scanned the small number of ponies for Rainbow Dash. Once she spotted the rainbow maned pegasus from the others, Silver flew down to meet her.

"You actually showed up a bit late," Rainbow pointed out just as Silver came in for a smooth landing beside her. "Spitfire's not here yet, though, so you got lucky."

"It took awhile for me to find my suit," Silver admitted and fidgeted in the cerulean blue and light yellow elastic garment, still trying to get used to the slightly uncomfortable snugness before Spitfire finally came.

"At least you still showed up," Rainbow said, her expression turning put off and unhappy. "If you didn't, Soarin' would probably be all over me."

Laughing at her friend's remark, Silver glanced around the surrounding pegasi, responding pointedly, "Even that I _am_ here, he'll still probably be all over y-"

"Did you say my name, Rainbow Dash?" an overtly romantic voice sounded from Rainbow's left side, cutting Silver's thought short. She leaned forward to look past Rainbow and saw Soarin', unsurprisingly, giving Rainbow one of his "I'm-so-in-love-with-you" looks. Rainbow Dash groaned and shifted her position to try and lean away from him.

"Help me," Rainbow whispered desperately. In an act to help her friend, Silver Stream stood taller beside the blue pegasus and gave Soarin' a steady and slightly icy gaze.

"Soarin'," she said to him in a firm tone, but didn't get his full attention, "I think I heard Sunny Day calling you. You wouldn't want to leave your dear sister _all alone_ by herself, would you?"

Soarin' became alert at the mention of his little sister and started to fly off past a couple more pegasi in the line. "I'm coming, sis," he shouted louder than he needed to since Sunny Day was only about three feet away from him. That was something about Soarin' Silver Stream didn't really care about; he was always so overly obnoxious and dramatic. It gave him an unprofessional picture for himself, but luckily he was able to cover it up for Wonderbolts performances. Silver had to admit, he was a legitimately talented flier, so she could never really imagine a better team without him as one of the lead pegasi.

"Thanks," Rainbow had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief once Soarin' had gone and looked into Silver's eyes gratefully.

"Don't mention it," Silver told her and blew a few strands of her blonde mane from her eyes. "You know how much I hate it when Soarin' flirts with you, as funny as it is to see you try and deal with him yourself."

"'Funny?'" Rainbow repeated, scoffing as she rolled her eyes. "I'd like to see you try and deal with him on your own once. _That_ would be funny."

"Oh, shut up, Dash," Silver told her humorously. "You should at least be a little proud of the fact that somepony has it bad for you."

"Not with how annoying _he_ can be," Rainbow reminded Silver and shot an annoyed glare in the direction Soarin' went off in.

"Oh, come on," Silver sighed and nudged Rainbow Dash in mild compassion, "I know he's not your first choice, but at least you can take comfort in the idea that there's more out there."

Rainbow Dash turned her gleaming eyes to Silver's and smiled warmly. "Definitely more out there," she agreed softly, her eyes almost radiating a pleasant light that the silver pegasus admired in a tranquil silence.

Just then, the sharp blast from a whistle ended their exchange and brought everypony back into a tight line formation. A yellow pegasus with a blazing orange mane that flared up like flames skidded to a halt on the runway in front of the line of elite fliers, her dark sunglasses masking her piercing dark orange eyes.

"Okay, Wonderbolts," Spitfire called out in her harsh and raspy tone, "today we're starting off with partner laps." She paused, most likely to have an excuse to punish some of the fliers if they were to groan, which none did. "Since I have assigned your partners for these past few practices," she continued, "I'll let you choose your partners." Silver and Rainbow Dash met each other's eyes instantly, each nodding simultaneously to seal their partnership. Thankfully, Spitfire didn't see them and continued speaking. "If you're not in pairs in the next ten seconds, everypony's doing five hundred wing ups. Get with your partners. NOW!"

At the sound of Spitfire's whistle, everypony except for Silver and Rainbow broke the tight line formation to find a partner. When Spitfire made an order, nopony disobeyed her.

Spitfire noticed how they hadn't moved and called over to them, "What, do you have cotton in your ears?"

"Actually," Rainbow Dash spoke up to defend their case, "we _are_ in a pair. No reason to break out any discipline."

Spitfire was silent for a few moments, then nodded her head respectfully at the two. "I had a feeling you two would team up."

Silver Stream exhaled a deep breath as soon as the Wonderbolt captain turned her attention away. "I thought we were dead there for a second," she breathed softly to Rainbow.

"Don't worry, Sil," the blue pegasus reassured her, nudging her lightheartedly. "I've got your back." The two held each other's eyes for a short and quiet moment after until the sting of Spitfire's whistle broke their trances once more.

"For your partner laps," Spitfire shouted out, "you'll each do fifty laps, which in total for your pair will equal one hundred." The vivid yellow pegasus began to pace in front of the other pegasi as she continued prompting everypony on the day's warm up, "One partner will start the first lap, then the second partner will do the lap after that. Partners will alternate laps until you each have done fifty. Once you and your partner have reached one hundred laps, your times will be recorded by one of our flight assistants standing off the course. I'll be standing with them in case any accidents occur, which I'm _sure_ there won't be any since you all are _professional_ and _elite_ fliers."

 _Well, for most of us anyway,_ Silver thought disagreeably, not willing to risk mumbling it to herself out loud.

"Everypony to the course," Spitfire ordered and pointed her hoof to the flying track just off the runway. "On your way to the starting line, decide which one of you is going first out of your pairs. Once everypony is ready, the time will begin."

Spitfire blasted her whistle once more, and all pairs began to work their way to the course. Silver looked over at Rainbow Dash, who was eyeing Soarin' suspiciously like he had committed some sort of crime.

"I'll go first, if it's alright with you," she said finally after Soarin' was out of earshot.

"You can go first," Silver agreed, quickly glancing at Soarin' to see if he was listening to their conversation. Then, she gave Rainbow Dash a concerned look and asked, "What was that look you gave Soarin' for?"

"You can never be too careful when you're dealing with him," Rainbow answered and started off towards the course. Silver sighed inwardly and followed a few paces behind, thinking as she continued, _You can never be too careful when you're dealing with anypony even remotely similar to you, too, Rainbow Dash_.

"Are all teams ready?" Spitfire called from the inner oval of the track. A collective "yes, ma'am" rang out from the pegasi on the course, and Spitfire began the countdown to start.

"Good luck," Silver said in a hushed tone to Rainbow.

She scoffed coltishly and replied, "Like I need it."

"You will," Sunny Day challenged, who lined herself up next to Rainbow Dash. There was a tongue-in-cheek edge to her tone as she added, "If you're gonna beat me." From the corner of her vision, Silver could have sworn she saw Sunny glance in her direction. What for she didn't know and, frankly, didn't want to ask.

"Oh, you're on," Rainbow Dash accepted her challenge with an air of self-assuredness, and Spitfire blasted her whistle to start the laps. The pegasi lined up at the starting line shot off onto the track, Sunny Day and Rainbow at the head of the group.

Silver was getting ready to start her half of the one hundred partner laps when she glanced over at Soarin'. He kept his eyes on Sunny and Rainbow, but she could tell he was only looking at Rainbow Dash. He had a solemn and dejected look in his eyes, which wasn't that surprising once Silver finally thought more about it. Soarin' had feelings for Rainbow Dash, but she obviously didn't have any in return. He was forced to go through constant rejection as he never stopped trying to reach a breakthrough with her, and often times he would have to turn to his younger sister for support. It was a dead end battle that he probably knew he would never win, and still he kept on trying. She couldn't blame him for his effort, though; he really did love Rainbow Dash with all his heart-

"Come on, Silver, you gotta _go_ ," Rainbow forced through her grit teeth, shoving Silver sharply forward and snapping her back into reality. "You just let Sunny and Soarin' get ahead!"

"Oh, sorry," Silver replied hastily over her shoulder and zoomed off to catch up to Soarin', which she accomplished easily. She passed by him in a flash, and before she knew it, Silver had made it back to Rainbow Dash in no time at all.

Without a word, Rainbow started her second of the one hundred laps, leaving Silver behind to continue with her thoughts. _Oh yeah,_ Silver thought once Soarin' had made it back after finishing his lap, _Soarin'._ Sunny zoomed off in a hurry, scowling at Soarin' for slowing her quick progress. Silver always knew he had it coming for falling in love with a pony who would never feel the same way, but deep down…

She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for him, and she didn't quite know why.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Practice had just ended and Silver Stream was just about to head back to her house to change out of her Wonderbolts outfit before Twilight brought her to Canterlot with the hoof-full of ponies listed last night. That was if the disembodied voice she heard in her dream was telling the truth. She and Rainbow were walking off together when they heard somepony shout out to them from behind.

"Rainbow Dash," the pony called, and Silver watched Rainbow turn to see who it was. Silver followed suit and saw Sunny Day about twenty yards away, a concerned look plastered across her face.

Silver met Rainbow's gaze, trying not to look as anxious as she felt. Rainbow shrugged to Silver and trotted over to Sunny, who was kneading her hooves into the tough extensive runway nervously until Rainbow came. They both spoke in low voices so nopony could hear them, causing Silver to get a bit worked up about the situation.

A few moments after, Rainbow slowly made her way back to Silver, her eyes clouded with dread and misery. Silver waited until she was close enough to speak in a low voice so Sunny wouldn't hear them.

"What did she say?" the silvery grey pegasus asked, hoping it wasn't something too horribly bad to deal with.

Rainbow looked up from her hooves and into Silver's eyes for just a moment, then looked down to her hooves again, like she were searching for the right words to say. "She said that Soarin's gonna ask me soon if-" Rainbow started, but paused and swallowed, her eyes filling with pain, "if I want to marry him."

Silver Stream gaped, unable to form any words to say in response. Soarin' was tenacious and stubborn, but why in Equestria did he think it was a good idea to propose marriage to the one pony he knew all too well did not in a million years feel even remotely the same way he felt about her?

"Sunny said she tried to talk to him about it," Rainbow Dash continued, her voice starting to crack, like she were about to cry, "but he wouldn't listen." Finally unable to hold it in any longer, her eyes welled up with tears that eventually spilled out onto her cheeks. _She was crying_. "He's gonna propose soon, a-and if I say no…"

She didn't finish her sentence, but there wasn't any need. Silver could only imagine what Soarin' would do if Rainbow declined his offer of eternal love. The pony he had loved for so long would eventually turn him down for good, and there would be no bounds as to what might happen next.

Snapping herself back into reality, Silver Stream gazed upon Rainbow Dash, who she had admired for so many years because of her ability to remain strong even through the toughest of times. Standing before her now, she watched helplessly as she saw the one who inspired her to be brave crumble apart instantly at something she never would have thought could tear her down.

Taking a few seconds to gather her words, Silver took in a deep breath to calm herself down. "Rainbow Dash, I could never know how terrible you must feel," she started softly. Looking past her to gaze off into the distance, she continued, "Soarin' isn't exactly the brightest stallion, but I'm sure you could try talking to him. However long it takes, he has to know you have no romantic feelings towards him. That's the only way to get this to end."

"But, I-I don't wanna make him…" Rainbow trailed off, her cheeks now soaked in streaming tears as she continued to sob.

"Rainbow," Silver murmured and took a few steps closer to her, "please don't cry." Not prepared for this kind of situation, Silver Stream had nothing else to do now but turn and run away. She couldn't stand seeing Rainbow Dash in this condition, not when she was about to leave on some "mission." All she could think to do was fly home, far away from anything that troubled her…

So that's what she did.


	3. Chapter 2 -- Captured in Stained Glass

(A/N): Just a filler.

* * *

~ Chapter 2 ~

Captured in Stained Glass

Silver Stream laid curled up on her bed, her eyes wistful as she watched the light that sifted through the nearby bedroom window shift slowly across the floor with each passing minute. Deep inside, she was disappointed in herself for abandoning Rainbow Dash when she needed her best friend the most. Instead of trying to help, trying to be brave, she just ran away from her fears, and that wasn't the pony she knew she was. Here she lay in silence, the only thing to trouble her was Twilight's visit, which should've been any moment now, and as if on cue, Silver heard a soft knock at her front door.

"Gee, I wonder who it is," she muttered sarcastically to herself, sliding off the bed. Making her way slowly down to her front door, Silver Stream wondered if Rainbow would be with her, since the voice in her dream the night before had foretold she would be with her on the trip to the capital of Equestria. _How will she react, if she even ends up being with Twilight?_ she thought gravely to herself. At the entryway, Silver gently pushed her door open, and who she found standing in front of her left her shocked and speechless.

"Hey, Silver," Rainbow Dash greeted softly, her eyes still slightly puffy and red after crying. "Can I come in? I wanna talk to you for a few minutes."

While still staring at her, Silver slowly backed up so Rainbow could step in, who shut the door quietly behind herself. It wasn't so much by the fact that it wasn't who she was expecting, it was more that Rainbow Dash was actually visiting after Silver had left her all alone crying. It just didn't make much of any sense to her.

"Why-" Silver started, but Rainbow knew what she had been meaning to say almost as if she had read her mind.

"I just want to say I'm sorry," she answered, her tone still soft. "I didn't mean to cause you so much pressure back there." Turning her eyes to the floor, her expression grew somber as she added, "I feel so guilty for making you fly away like that."

Silver Stream just stared in silence at Rainbow Dash. Of all the things she thought she would say after what had happened, she never would've guessed it would be this. If anything, she would accuse herself of leaving Rainbow instead of trying to help her through her problem, but she only thought of her own issues and got swept away in her selfishness. "Rainbow Dash, why should _you_ feel guilty? _I_ was the one that left you instead of trying to help."

Turning her magenta eyes to meet Silver's of glowing green, Rainbow sighed and murmured, "Because I would never want that kind of pain to be yours to deal with." Her expression brightened. "I care about you too much to see you hurt, Silver Stream, and sometimes," Rainbow hesitated, her eyes filling with grief, "pain can lead to loss. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had lost your friendship for good."

After a few moments of silence, Silver smiled and leaped into Rainbow Dash, wrapping her hooves around her neck in a hug. In return, Rainbow did the same. They both stayed like this for a few seconds longer, and Silver Stream appreciated Rainbow's silent understanding to hold out the embrace. The first few days she had met this sky blue pegasus, she had always been the pony she went to for support and just to talk with. Silver relied on her, and that's how their friendship had grown so strong.

After the hug, the two gazed at each other wordlessly, the silence growing thicker as neither of them said anything. Rainbow Dash, after some time, was beginning to attain a gleam of longing in her eye, like she wanted to say something. Just as she was taking a breath to speak, they heard a knock on the front door. Breaking her eye contact with Rainbow, Silver Stream made a small motion for her to step aside, and stepping quietly up to the door, she nudged it open to see Princess Twilight Sparkle standing before her.

"Hi, Silver," she greeted happily, waving her hoof as she spoke. "I'm here on orders given to me by the Royal Sisters. I'm to accompany you and a few others to Canterlot on an extremely urgent matter that highly involves you." Pausing for a moment to give Silver a chance to process her words, she then finished, "We'll be leaving immediately, so don't worry about packing anything; it won't be a very extensive visit."

Silver answered Twilight's notice with a nonverbal dip of her head both in respects to the Princess and that she understood her purpose for being there. Remaining silent, she tipped her head back to where Rainbow was standing inside. "I'll come if Rainbow Dash can," she said, hoping the princess would agree to her terms. To try and boost her chances, she added almost pleadingly, "She _is_ my best friend and all."

Twilight stood in hushed contemplation for a moment, then nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, she can come along. I suppose it would be good for her to know what's happening, anyway." She then turned to walk away.

"Canterlot?" Rainbow Dash whispered to Silver as she trotted up to her side in the doorway. "What for?" Silver only shrugged in reply to Rainbow's question.

Without hesitation, Silver Stream then began to follow Princess Twilight away from her house, hearing Rainbow shut the front door after herself. Flying down to the grass field below, Silver noticed three other ponies with Twilight. One was an earth pony while the other two were pegasi. The single earth pony Silver recognized instantly as Peach Cobbler, a pony whose profession was to bake, and with passion she did. She was also Silver's girlfriend whom she had been dating for a year or so. Although Silver hated to mention it, they from time to time did have a fight or two, and Silver sometimes got the idea that Peach was no longer loyal to her or didn't care about her as much as she used to. She feared this could eventually sever their relationship.

"Peachy," Silver called out to her, changing her path of flight to come down face-to-face with her love. Peach beamed when the grey pegasus settled on the field of grass beneath them and threw her hooves around her in an embrace.

"Silver," she responded in an equally overjoyed air, "you don't know how happy I am to see you." This was not one of those moments the pegasus doubted the love Peach gave her. Silver felt her face grow hot, suddenly thankful Peach couldn't see her expression. She was sure she had a stupid grin plastered on her face, as that was usually what happened when Peach told Silver how much she missed her or how much she loved her.

"Well," she started, her tone much softer, "it _has_ been a while." Peach laughed, innocent and chirpy, as her grip tightened around Silver. Her laugh had always captivated Silver Stream with its un-fronted truth and genuine demeanor, and she admired and loved Peach for that.

While still embraced, Silver instantaneously searched for the two pegasi she had spotted just moments before in hopes of recognizing them. The first she found didn't seem familiar to her at all. She had a pale yellow coat and short powdery blue curls that ended just on either side of her head, a radiant white amaryllis perched in the crook of her right ear. Her eyes were a soothing pastel green that complimented her color nicely. She was rather small built for a pegasus, probably one of so many who preferred a different hobby or profession over flying. Silver had to admit, though, that she was extremely pretty.

The other pegasus she hadn't identified yet had a strikingly familiar cream colored coat and long, rather unkempt wavy, orange mane with a bright yellow stripe through its middle. She didn't need a second glance to recognize her as-

"Sunny Day?" she blurted out, drawing away from Peach Cobbler. Sunny, in the middle of an unusually hushed conversation with Rainbow Dash, turned her bright blue eyes to Silver at the call of her name. She gave a quick, but just noticeably nervous smile, waved her hoof and mouthed, "I'll talk to you later." She then turned her eyes back to Rainbow, who was biting her lip and trying not to knead her hoof into the small patch of dirt she had just cleared in the grassy field beneath them.

"She's been a little quiet lately," Peach's gentle voice sounded from behind Silver, soft so only she could hear. Silver kept her eyes fixed on Sunny and Rainbow, her watchful green eyes narrowed in suspicion. _Are they talking about… Soarin'?_ she wondered quizzically. "It doesn't seem like she's acting much like herself. Usually she's highly dynamic and talkative, but…" Peach had trailed off, and Silver Stream turned her eyes back to the earth pony with concern.

"Has she told you-I mean, if there's even a reason-why?" she asked, perhaps with a smidge more sincerity than she meant to. Peach Cobbler turned her light brown eyes to Silver's, a sly smile spreading across her face. Quickly, Silver tried to mend her mistake by adding, "I mean, not that there's any reason at all that she's acting different and stuff anyway, y'know?"

Peach raised her eyebrows in what Silver knew was the "I-know-you're-hiding-something" look and scoffed. "Sil, you've always been a horrible liar," she teased, flipping part of her orange and yellow mane aside to look the pegasus squarely in the eye. "Tell me what's going on."

Silver Stream cursed herself silently for allowing Peach to read her like an open book. The less ponies who knew about this subject the better. If she tried to resist, it would eventually come to no prevail as Peach wouldn't back down until hearing what she wanted to hear. "You didn't hear it from me, but," Silver paused for the briefest of moments, "Soarin' is planning on proposing marriage to Rainbow Dash soon."

Peach stared wide eyed back at Silver, her mouth gaping halfway open. She stole a quick glance over at the two pegasi, her soft brown eyes dreadful. "Soarin's bold, I'll give him that," she murmured gently, "but marriage? He _knows_ she doesn't feel the same way."

Silver only nodded, but her focus was no longer on the current situation. Twilight was just summoning them to set off to the train station to catch a ride to Canterlot. "We shouldn't stay any longer; our train leaves near noon."

"I _would_ say we could fly to Canterlot," Rainbow began with a comical tone, "but seeing as though one of us here came without a pair of wings," she paused, giving Peach Cobbler a wink, "I suppose we'll have to make do with a train ride."

"I think that only makes you better," Silver whispered lightheartedly into Peach's ear, and she giggled and shoved the grey pegasus teasingly. Something was off about her behavior, though. For the past few occasions she had been around Peach, Silver noticed that her laughter was beginning to sound forced when she complimented her or did anything affectionate. What was going on?

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

The six had boarded the train and were moving at a brisk pace to Canterlot. Silver Stream sat on one of the cushioned seats nearest a window, gazing out at the landscape passing by. Peach Cobbler took up her left side. She was engaged in conversation with Twilight Sparkle and the one pegasus Silver didn't yet know, who sat across from them. Sunny Day and Rainbow Dash took up the seats adjacent to Silver and Peach, still talking to each other in quieted voices.

"Anything wrong, Silver?" Peach directed her attention suddenly to the silvery pegasus, her voice hushed. Peach had a known habit to have a wandering mind, so it wasn't much of a surprise to Silver when she did this. Taking her eyes away from the rolling, lush fields and occasional oak trees that lay outside the train's window, Silver stared into her eyes without saying a word. Continuing in the same soft voice as before, Peach added, "You look a little-"

"Bewildered? Lost? Dumbfounded? Completely and utterly stupid?" she asked successively. The earth pony smiled and laughed, her nose scrunching up in a way Silver found extremely cute.

"No, not particularly," she answered.

Turning her dimming eyes back outside, Silver sighed and muttered, "Well, that's how I feel." Her mind had still been churning about the mysterious dream she had last night. She had so many questions that had gone unanswered, and now that what had been foretold to occur was already coming true, a thousand more had developed and were flooding every corner of her thoughts. How had that voice known who she was? How had it known what was going to happen? To Silver, this situation was beginning to seem a little weird.

"I was gonna say you looked a little confused," Peach's comment snapped Silver Stream back into reality. "Is there anything you need to talk about?"

Keeping her eyes glued to the window, she shook her head soundlessly. There was a short moment of silence between the two until Silver Stream felt Peach wrap her hoof comfortingly around her side. Her heart leaped at this gesture, so she closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath to keep her nerves in control. "You know you can tell me anything, Silver," Peach whispered softly into the pegasus' ear. Remaining quiet, Silver nodded slowly.

"Silver Stream, Peach Cobbler," they heard Twilight address the two unexpectedly, "I'm not sure you've met Dewdrop, yet." Feeling Peach's hoof unwrap around her side, Silver adjusted herself in her seat to more comfortably talk to the two ponies across from her. She wasn't embarrassed by the idea that anypony could've seen her and Peach together, but taking a sideways glance over at her love would prove the opposite for her. She noticed her face had turned a very subtle shade of red, like she wasn't meaning for anypony to see them as a couple, which hurt Silver for a few moments before she directed her attention back to the ponies across from her.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Silver answered finally, turning her eyes to the faint yellow pegasus with the lovely flower set beside her fair blue curled mane. "So, your name's Dewdrop?"

"Well, technically it's Dewdrop Meadow," she replied in a calm and easy voice, "but I prefer Dewdrop alone. My full name sounds too formal to me."

"It's a nice name, though," Peach said and smiled warmly, a look in her eyes that unsettled Silver, but she remained silent.

Dewdrop smiled back, though more reserved. In a way, she reminded Silver of Fluttershy. It wouldn't surprise her if the two knew each other, but that conversation would have to wait for now. As the others continued their current conversation, Silver Stream turned her attention back to the landscape outside. She said nothing else on the ride to Canterlot, blocking out the sounds of chatter with the cascading thoughts on her dream.

"Canterlot station," an overhead voice called from a few cars down. "All for Canterlot depart here."

"Looks like that's us, Sil," Peach Cobbler said and gave Silver's shoulder a gentle shake with her hoof. Silver followed her and the rest of the group off the train and onto the platform. She could already tell by the elegant architecture of the train station that Canterlot was a very regal place, no doubt because the two rulers of Equestria lived there. She had always dreamed of visiting the grand capital of Equestria, trying to imagine what it would look like if she were ever to come. Today was that day.

As the five left the train station, Silver Stream gaped at all the beauty surrounding her. For a city mounted so high up on the side of a mountain, Canterlot had many different varieties of floral vegetation to see. All the structures and buildings even had their own flare of finesse. There was no doubt why everypony called Canterlot the most regal city in all of Equestria. Too taken aback by all of the utter perfection before her, Silver made no attempt at small talk with any of the others. Surprisingly, she managed not to lose them as they wound through streets lined with cafes and boutiques. When Silver had seen so much of Canterlot that her head started to spin and she began to feel woozy, they had arrived at Canterlot Castle, where Princess Celestia and Luna lived and ruled Equestria.

"Nopony got lost, did they?" Twilight asked and quickly scanned the group.

"No," Rainbow Dash answered, but turned her eyes to Silver Stream as she continued naively, "but Silver almost did a few times. Were those interesting lamp posts you were so captivated by?"

Silver looked down to her hooves and blushed slightly. "I _wasn't_ staring at the lamp posts," she argued defiantly. "I was looking at the-"

"The walls right behind them?"

"Shut up."

The five others laughed as Silver gave a small smile and shuffled her hooves against the grey pavement beneath them. "Oh, give me a break, Dash," she said and looked up into her best friend's shining magenta eyes. "I've never seen Canterlot before."

"Really?" Sunny Day blurted, though cleared her throat almost apologetically afterwards, her eyes flashing briefly over Silver. There was that look again that Silver couldn't quite place. "Well, I mean, I've only been here because of Soarin'," she paused to smile. Then continuing with a slight edge of ego, she gushed, "He's done a lot of performances here 'cause he's been a Wonderbolt for as long as I can remember."

Silver rolled her eyes, but smiled at the almost undetectable sense of admiration when she spoke. _She must really look up to Soarin',_ she thought. Silver did have a soft spot for touchingly close sibling bonds, but it wasn't like she had any to relate to. She just admired that others could share a relationship that special.

"Let's get inside," Twilight then suggested, starting to trot ahead up the grand staircase into the castle. "We don't want to stay here for too long or we might not be able to visit the other place I had in mind for today." Without another word, everypony followed behind Twilight into the castle. The main corridor was lined with colorful stained glass windows, each holding a crucial moment of Equestria's history. The ones at the very beginning mostly consisted of Celestia and Luna. As the group traveled further down, however, the two rulers of Equestria were replaced by six ponies, two earth, two unicorn, two pegasi, and Silver Stream recognized every one of them.

"The six Elements of Harmony," she muttered to herself in awe. Defeating Discord, bringing love and light back to the Crystal Empire, Twilight's coronation as princess. All of these events were familiar to Silver, but at the very end of the hall was a stained glass window completely unfamiliar to her.

"This is what I wanted to show you," Twilight announced, motioning a hoof at the window, which was significantly larger than most of the rest. Ultimately, it consisted of three ponies, all were pegasi. The one in the middle looked identical to Sunny Day, the one on the right exactly mirroring Stardust, and the one on the left of Silver Stream. Above each of their heads was a varying colored and shaped crystal; an almost pure crystal white cloud above Silver, a soft green tear shape above Dewdrop, and a vibrant yellow sun above Sunny Day.

"Is that… us?" Dewdrop asked slowly, frozen still in utter disbelief before the window.

"Yes, it seems this window has mimicked every detail of each of your appearances perfectly," Twilight answered, studying the window with the other five in the group. "The Royal Sisters don't know exactly when it appeared, but they know it's had to have been recent."

After an extensive pause of complete silence, Peach Cobbler voiced from the others, "If this only has to do with them-" she indicated the three pegasi pictured upon the wall in stained glass with a hoof, "-why did Rainbow Dash and I have to come along?"

Twilight hesitated for a short moment, flashing her eyes promptly over Silver Stream and Rainbow Dash. Gathering her words, she inhaled an inaudible breath and started, "I found this the only opportunity to be able to explain to you both what this means on such short of notice."

"What exactly do you mean?" Rainbow Dash questioned, her eyebrows knitting together in careful thought.

Taking yet another quick, but now noticeably sympathetic, glance at Silver Stream, Twilight told the earth pony and pegasus slowly, "Silver, along with these other two pegasi, are what Princess Celestia and Luna believe to be the three lost Elements of Harmony that were destroyed long ago. Not even the princesses know how they were destroyed." Everypony was silent. "If Celestia and Luna are right, the three must journey to the southeast into the Hayseed Swamps to claim these Elements. This is where the Royal Sisters have located a powerful source of magic surfacing, so the possibility of locating these new Elements of Harmony is highly likely. Look, all I'm trying to say is…" Twilight closed her eyes and sighed in resignation, "Silver's leaving."

Peach Cobbler stood absolutely frozen, her muscles tensed, while Rainbow Dash just simply gaped. "Leaving?" the earth pony echoed finally.

"She must lea- _embark_ temporarily on a journey to search for her Element of Harmony within the swamplands," Twilight answered indirectly. "She and the others will find in themselves their Element's spirit on the way."

Peach's eyes grew wide with fear, and Rainbow attempted to keep her wings from twitching, as this was a habit she had when her nervous anxiety started kicking in. "Leaving?" the earth pony repeated.

Nopony dared to speak a word, not even Silver Stream. They needed to give the two time to process this fully and what it could mean for the very near future. Taking a slow breath in, Peach asked gently, "So, I have to say good bye?"

"Not _just_ you, you know," Rainbow Dash muttered almost undetectably to herself.

"Technically, yes," Twilight responded, unaware of Rainbow's aside, "but not permanently."

"When is she leaving?"

Another silence struck immediately. A dreadful feeling sparked in the deepest pit of Silver's stomach as her eyes flashed unsurely to Twilight, hoping that the term "short notice" was a mistake. Her prayers weren't answered.

"In approximately three days," Twilight told her.

Everypony remained still, their eyes all turned to the single earth pony, though Silver took quick peeks over to Rainbow Dash to she that she was holding up rather well. Peach Cobbler, however, was not. She swallowed, biting her lower lip as her eyes glossed over. The silvery pegasus didn't want to know if she was about to cry or if she was just thinking deeply. She cursed under her breath suddenly, which caught her momentarily by surprise. She never acted like this. Why would she start now? Was it because… she _wanted_ Peach to cry about this? When she and the group would arrive back at Ponyville, Silver would need to put aside some time to place what was happening with her relationship with Peach.

"Peach," Dewdrop said gently, making her way calmly over to the earth pony, "it'll be okay. Sunny and I will both see to it that Silver makes it back safe and sound."

Peach Cobbler sniffed, then wiped her teary brown eyes with one of her hooves. "Yeah," she mumbled, looking up into Stardust's kind green eyes with a smile, "thank you."

Silver stood gaping at the two before her. Peach didn't believe that she could make it back unharmed without supervision? Her insides bubbled with a burning instinct to spit out a rebuttal, but a quick and sharp glance from Twilight told her not to. Her cheeks burned red as she watched Peach give Dewdrop a hug. _I'll have to have a_ long _thought session to think about this relationship._

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Before Silver knew it, she had found herself walking side by side with Rainbow Dash, following the rest of the group straight into the Everfree Forest. Peach walked beside Stardust ahead of her, and Silver struggled to keep from shooting daggers into the backs of their heads. Rainbow noticed her behavior towards the pair after a few moments, then leaned over and whispered bluntly, "Sil, you kinda need to take it back a notch. Peach hasn't done anything wrong."

"Like all the times _Soarin'_ didn't do anything wrong?" the silver pegasus hissed pointedly. Rainbow sighed in disappointment, obviously giving up any further attempt to try and talk sense into her paranoid friend.

However, her frustration with Peach was no longer the primary issue to worry about. Never had Silver set a single hoof near the Everfree's edge in all her time living in Ponyville, and now she was suddenly following Twilight's lead straight into it. How exactly was this supposed to help them with their mission?

"Explain to us again why you're taking us into the Everfree Forest?" Sunny Day asked, her voice unmistakingly stressed. This was rather odd for Sunny's usual demeanor, but then again, this _was_ the Everfree Forest. Who wouldn't be frightened of the idea of setting hoof into it?

"There's something within this forest you need to see before you leave on your journey," Twilight answered. Nopony said a word, Silver silently questioning the alicorn's sanity.

Cautiously, Silver Stream leaned over towards Rainbow Dash. If Twilight was leading them to something relative to the "lost" Elements, Rainbow might also possibly know about it. Speaking in a low voice so nopony could hear her, she asked, "Has Twilight lost it?"

"She's lost it long ago," Rainbow whispered back humorously, making Silver giggle, "but this time she has something important to show you. Just follow her lead; she knows what she's doing," then adding slyly under her breath, "most of the time."

The two laughed faintly, keeping their voices down so they wouldn't attract attention to themselves. Not a sound was heard from either side of the forest path besides the gentle chirps of the crickets and birds. Then, an uncomfortably close rustling of bushes a few yards into the treeline on Silver's right was all she needed for her nerves to derail.

"It isn't much farther now," Twilight announced to the group after another few moments of peaceful quiet. Again, nopony responded, making the current situation a little awkward because of the dead silence between the six that followed after. Silver didn't mind it, however; she needed the silence to focus on the noise coming from within the forest.

She heard nothing too out of the ordinary until she had gotten a few hoofsteps further up the path. From within the same treeline, Silver Stream could have sworn she heard somepony, or something, speak. She couldn't quite make out what it had said, if it had said anything at all, as it had been very soft and brief. "Did you guys hear something?" she asked warily, shooting her eyes into both sides of the trees lining the path, even though she knew which side the sound had come from.

Rainbow Dash stepped closer to her side protectively. "What, did you hear something?" she asked in return. Following Silver's gaze into trees and vegetation lining the path, she added with an air of confidence, "If something _is_ out there, I could totally take it on." She threw Silver a playful wink as she smiled with a steadfast look in her eyes. Glancing over at the others, Silver's eyes grazed over Peach for a split second to just barely catch her cross expression, the tint of red burning her cheeks signifying her jealousy. Silver was, in a frankly sadistic way, satisfied.

"Uh, I could, too!" Sunny Day interjected, bounding over to Silver's other side in an instant, poised in defense. Silver cocked an eyebrow at Sunny, her lips curling into an intrigued smile as the tan pegasus added quickly, "Y'know, just so Rainbow didn't have to do _all_ the protecting."

Twilight gave an exasperated sigh. "Now's not the time to worry about a random noise," she cut in before anypony could else could give their two bits of input. "May I remind you that this is the Everfree Forest? There's always weird noises coming from this place. We have to see the Tr-I mean, this _thing_ before it gets too late, and I'd think you wouldn't want to be stuck heading back through this forest after sunset."

There was a thick silence that Twilight took as an agreed reply to trek onward. "Good, let's be off." Only faint whispers could be heard between the group as they made their way through the Everfree Forest. Silver Stream, however, was not one of the few who were socializing, for lack of a better term, as she was lost in thought. She wondered whose voice she had heard back down the path, if it was even a voice at all. Something didn't feel right about it, and deep inside herself she knew it wasn't her imagination. If only she could just slip away for one moment unnoticed, she could take a glance within the trees and thick growing bushes and undergrowth. Maybe then Silver could see just what lurked past the safety of the treeline. With her mind wandering off so far, she began to ponder where exactly Twilight was planning to take them. If they had already gone so far into the Everfree, what else could there possibly be to see besides more of the same plants, rocks, and dirt?

"Where is this place you're taking us, anyway?" she asked suddenly, her tone more skeptical than she meant for it to sound.

"You'll find out when we get there," Twilight replied simply.

"You sure this is the right path?" Sunny Day asked almost immediately after, sounding more stressed than she ever had in her life.

"It's really the only path," Rainbow Dash muttered, and Silver stifled a laugh.

"Absolutely," Twilight said, oblivious to another of Rainbow's side comments. She turned her brilliant purple eyes back to Sunny Day, a warm smile washing across her face to try and reassure her. "Don't worry, I promise we'll be safe."

"I sure hope so," Dewdrop nearly whispered, glancing quickly into both treelines along the path. "This forest gives me the creeps."

"How much farther, Twilight?" Silver blurted, her patience starting to drain as she fidgeted with the white bandana wrapped loosely around her neck.

"We're almost there," the alicorn called back, her tone unwavering. "I swear this trip will be worth it for what I'm taking you to see."

Silence crept over the group once more as they continued. It was like Silver Stream were delusional, but she could almost feel the presence of something lurking in the bushes. Just as she was about to say something about it, Dewdrop piped up.

"What's happened to the Everfree?" she wondered, motioning a hoof at the trees and other plant life bordering the path. It had all been thinning out gradually as the group moved along, but nopony had noticed.

"It's a sign that we're nearly there. Come on!" Twilight galloped ahead, and the rest followed suit behind her. Before she new it, Silver emerged out of the forest and skidded to a halt at the sight of the gorge that lay before her. She looked back into the Everfree Forest that now lay behind her, but saw nothing unusual standing out from the dense greens of the vegetation. _Maybe it really_ was _all in my head,_ she thought. Just as she was about to turn and follow the others down into the gorge, she could have sworn she saw a flash of bronzed amber just past the thickest of leaves that lay in the protection of the bushes and bracken.

"Come on, Silver," Peach Cobbler called from the top of the convenient stone staircase that lead a winding path down to the low floor of the gorge. Taking one last glance into the cloak of the Everfree, Silver swiftly turned around and trotted over to the precipice before her. Leaping off it's edge, she thrust out her wings to catch the draft of wind within the gorge. She glided smoothly down to where the rest of the group stood waiting for her.

"Is something wrong, Silver?" Twilight asked as the pegasus touched down upon the rough stone floor. She, again, took a lengthy glance back up to the edge of the gorge for a sign of the amber she had just seen. She shook her head as she found nothing and turned back to the five around her.

"No, nothing's wrong," she replied. "I thought I saw-well, nevermind. It's not important." Quickly, she met Twilight's eyes and asked, "Where's this thing you wanted to show us?"

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot," she said, then pointed a hoof over at a nearby opening in one of the walls of the gorge. "It's just in that cave over there."

"Well, what are we standing around here for?" Sunny Day said, poised to shoot off ahead of the group.

"Your guess is as good as ours, Sunshine," Rainbow Dash told her with a tongue-in-cheek air, smiling to make sure she took it as a joke. Sunny Day zoomed ahead, disappearing into the mouth of the cave. Silver glanced over at Rainbow with an eyebrow cocked in subtle, cold spite. Even with this problem the two faced with Soarin', she still thought it fitting to crack out a joke? Rainbow shook her head back, then mouthed back, "We worked everything out." Silver raised her eyebrows skeptically, but nodded her head anyway. The five then made their way into the cave.

"Well, here we are," Twilight declared cheerfully as the six all had a look at what lay before them, "the Tree of Harmony." Silver gaped at the massive crystallized tree before her, five branches covered in beautiful vines, each holding one of the five more basic Elements of Harmony: Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty, Generosity, and Honesty. In the center of the trunk, where the tree branched off to hold the other Elements, was Magic, Twilight's own Element. The tree glowed with the magic of the Elements, which was what Silver guessed protected the Everfree Forest from any harm.

"What's this all about, Twilight?" Dewdrop asked slowly, her soft eyes shining in the radiant light of the Tree of Harmony.

"Well, as I told you before," she began, "you three will be leaving on your own quest to find your Element. When or if-" Silver Stream winced at this word, "-you do, the only place logical enough for it to go," she paused and smiled, "is here."

Silver turned her eyes back to the Tree of Harmony, her eyes gleaming inspiration. _For the sake of all in Equestria,_ she thought bravely to herself, _I_ will _find that Element and bring it back to it's rightful home._

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Silver Stream had flown silently home after reaching the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. Peach had asked if she wanted her to accompany Silver back home, but she politely passed, saying she didn't want her to walk all the way to her house just to turn around and make her way back to Ponyville.

"It won't be any trouble," Peach argued, smiling hopefully as Silver thought momentarily.

"I just don't want you to be too tired, Peach," Silver told her, carefully choosing her words so there was very little chance the earth pony got the wrong idea. "I'd love for you to take me home, but it's getting late and you might not get back to your place until after sunset."

Peach took her gaze from the silvery pegasus' eyes and to the waning sun in the west. "Yeah, I guess it would be best if I just go home," she agreed finally. She stepped towards Silver and kissed her left cheek gingerly, then murmured softly as the glow of the sun shone in her eyes peacefully, "I love you, Silver Stream."

She smiled, but it concealed a sort of anxiousness she now felt toward the earth pony that she had never felt before until today. "I love you, too, Peach."

As Silver ascended up to the plush cloud walkway leading to the front door of her house, she replayed the events of that day over in her head. So, according to Twilight, she, Dewdrop, and Sunny Day were supposed to represent the three Elements of Harmony that had somehow been misplaced through time. She didn't know what exactly she represented yet, but it would no doubt come to her once she retrieved her Element.

It all seemed so incredibly complicated to her as she understood absolutely none of it at this point in time. How could the six original Elements of Harmony understand anything when they first received theirs? The more Silver Stream thought about it, the more it seemed the key to unlocking the knowledge of possessing an Element came from the act of assuming one. That would explain how perfectly the six who held one in the present fit exactly into their role of the Elements. _Wow, too much thinking in a short amount of time,_ Silver thought as her head throbbed with a stabbing pain. Even though her physical and mental state ached from the long day of travel and keeping track of information, Silver hesitated to retire into her inviting home. Instead, she sat down upon the plush walkway of clouds that lead inside and gazed off into the sunset to her left.

 _Wow,_ she thought silently, _déjà vu._


	4. Chapter 3 -- The Journey Begins

(A/N): Just a filler.

* * *

~ Chapter 3 ~

The Journey Begins

Two days had passed since Silver's visit to Canterlot, and she hadn't yet left on her mission with Dewdrop and Sunny Day to the Hayseed Swamps to search for their Elements of Harmony. That was the problem; this whole quest to find the Elements was the only thing she thought about now, and she couldn't get it out of her mind. Similar questions, thoughts, and trains of logic looped in a cycle through her head, and no matter how hard she tried, it was impossible to break the circle and keep it from repeating.

She had been pacing the floor of her bedroom all the while. Zero hours of sleep in two days wasn't exactly all that great for her health and well being. She tried sleeping, but her mind kept her up, so she tried to tire herself out by trotting back and forth across the room. This, however, worked to no avail. With all these hours lost from insomnia, her eyes were red and puffy and she felt like she could give out at any moment, though she never did.

Over the course of these two days when she was around Rainbow Dash specifically, she had noticed her unhealthy condition and recommended that she go home immediately to get some shuteye. Silver always agreed absentmindedly, and once she was home, she just began pacing again.

Today, Rainbow had told the silvery pegasus once again to get some rest, but she hadn't left until after escorting Silver home. She stayed for a while to make sure her best friend didn't stay up tiring herself out pacing. "Silver Stream," she started, watching her pace about, her now dulled green eyes glued to the floor, "I know this whole going away to find your Element has your mind racing, but you _need_ to get some sleep."

"Sleep?" Silver echoed halfheartedly. "No, no, I don't need sleep."

"Silver, unless you wanna end up dead in that swamp, I assure you that you need sleep."

"Rainbow Dash, you don't understand what I'm going through right now," Silver snapped, and for the first time in a while stopped pacing. She forced her eyes from the floor to Rainbow's and continued, "I don't get anything about this entire mess. Why _me_ when there's so many more ponies out in Equestria that have chances to be _far_ more worthy of an Element? Why a swamp when they could've formed on that Tree of Harmony? How in Celestia's name am I even supposed to know where these Elements are in the swamp?! Trust me, Rainbow, I _want_ to sleep, but I can't with all these stupid questions turning over and over in my head that I can't stop because I'm too weak and breaking apart from this stress because-" Silver paused abruptly, breathing heavily.

Rainbow remained silent, murmuring something inaudible under her breath. Then, her face lit up suddenly and she said hastily to Silver, "I'll be right back. Bye, Sil!" Moments after however, her head popped into the doorway, and she added softly, "And please at least try to get a little sleep?"

Once Silver heard the front door close, she muttered bitterly to herself, "Get some sleep, my hoof," and started pacing again. As the seconds passed, her mind only kept flooding with the same frantic questions that she knew nopony could answer but herself when she set off on this quest. Still, she couldn't help turning each and every one of them over in her mind, trying to find some solution to them before the time came to leave for the Hayseed Swamps.

Silver was now trudging around the room, unable to hold herself up for much longer when she heard the front door open once more, voices flooding in from downstairs.

"I've told you, already," Silver recognized Rainbow Dash's voice almost instantly, "she won't sleep. I've tried to tell her she needs it, but she just keeps pacing and pacing like she can't hear me."

"I would've thought she'd be able to handle this quest," Silver identified this voice just as easily, it belonging to Twilight Sparkle. "I can't understand why she won't sleep over something as important as this."

 _What's that supposed to mean?_ Silver thought, her temper beginning to set off. Just then, the two appeared in the doorway, their conversation ending abruptly as they both turned their eyes on Silver Stream. She seemed like she were carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders as she was slumped over, her mane in tangles and her eyes red with sleep loss.

"Oh, wow," Twilight gasped and rushed forward immediately, "she's in worse condition than I thought she'd be."

"What'd you expect her to be like?" Rainbow asked accusingly.

Twilight turned quickly back to Rainbow Dash and said hurriedly, "I didn't think she would pace _consecutively_." She paused shortly, turning back to Silver Stream as she continued to examine her more. "She's practically been up since the day we traveled to Canterlot."

Rainbow moaned and fluttered her wings dreadfully as she whined, "That's what I tried to tell you."

There was a slightly tense silence as nopony spoke. Once Twilight had finished sizing up Silver's condition, she stepped back to Rainbow and gave a confident grin. "This shouldn't be too hard," she began to explain more to the light blue pegasus than to Silver. "I've just got to perform a rather uncomplicated sleep restoration spell and she'll be back to normal."

Rainbow Dash breathed out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Celestia," she murmured thankfully, turning her gleaming magenta eyes thoughtfully into Silver's.

"Well," Twilight said, a translucent magenta aura beginning to swirl around her alicorn horn, "here goes." She closed her eyes for what Silver assumed was concentration, and instantly she felt her stiff drowsiness ebbing away, leaving her bright and perky. She stretched her muscles and blinked, her eyes no longer heavy and stinging with pain. She knew it had really only been two days, but Silver felt as if it had been years since she had last slept, and this instant rejuvenation of vigilance was like a dream after the horrid feeling of being deprived of her sleep.

"So," Rainbow Dash pressed and inched forward, "how do you feel?"

The pegasus fluttered her wings tipped in an iridescent shine and replied, "I feel… great!" She flashed a bright smile to Twilight as a sign of thanks. As Rainbow smiled at her renewed state of health, Twilight gave a small nod in return.

"Thank Celestia you're healed," Rainbow breathed. Shooting Twilight a thankful grin, she added, "I thought I'd never see you like this again."

"Just be happy you came to me when you did," Twilight told her, the more cheery edge to her tone fading into one more of caution. "I was just about to come over and get Silver anyway, but I may not have had time to heal her and take her and the others to the train station."

Silver turned over a slightly panicked look to Twilight. "Train station?" she asked. "You mean right now? Oh, no," she moaned helplessly. "I forgot to pack! I've been so preoccupied with the stress these past few days that I've wasted my time pacing over the whole mission!" Turning back to the others, she saw Rainbow Dash and Twilight grinning at each other, trying to hold back giggles and fits of laughter. "What's so funny?"

Finally, they both hollered out in laughter, leaving Silver clueless and hurt as to why they weren't taking this predicament seriously. "Oh, Silver," Rainbow said as she wiped tears from her eyes, "I knew this would happen." Trying to hold in another laugh, she burst out once more and fell over backwards onto Silver's bedroom floor.

"What Rainbow Dash means is," Twilight began, pausing to stifle a giggle, "I explained to you on the day of our visit to Canterlot that you wouldn't need to pack since I would be handling all of the preparations." Looking down to Rainbow Dash, who was still laughing wildly, the alicorn smiled and continued with a chuckle, "Though I imagine you must've been lost in your own train of thought to be paying attention?"

"Yeah," Rainbow agreed, still trying to hold in her outbursts of laughter, "you were spacing out so hard that I wanted to wait and see if it would become a joke later," she paused to erupt in another surge of hilarity, then added, "and it has!"

"Guys, that is so _not_ funny," Silver fussed childishly, but couldn't keep herself from cracking a smile at how undeniably amusing it was. She was one who tended to get disoriented if she kept too much to her own thoughts.

"In any case," Twilight began after everypony had calmed themselves down, "we should get going. Besides, we're going to have to round up Dewdrop, Sunny Day, and Peach Cobbler, as well. I probably should've mentioned that earlier."

"Oh, sure," Rainbow started, the humor in her tone still present, "you don't mention _that_ when I come to get you. Nope, just gotta wait until we know for sure we're behind schedule."

Twilight and Silver Stream both laughed, and Rainbow smiled at her successful joke.

"Let's get going, then," Twilight Sparkle said cheerily, and the three left behind Silver's house to go fetch Peach Cobbler and the two pegasi to join Silver on the quest to find the new Elements of Harmony.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

With Peach, Dewdrop, and Sunny Day retrieved - one of the three soon for better or worse - the six then began to make their way to Twilight's castle. She apologized for holding off their arrival to the train station, but in her defense, she needed to get the pre-packed saddlebags Silver and the others proclaimed to undergo the mission would need to make the journey.

Once the group had reached the majestic, crystallized palace, Twilight set off inside. That left a small window of time for Silver Stream to think. Though she now felt better about this quest than she did before, she still couldn't shake off a feeling that something was… off. The "lost" pieces to the Elements of Harmony? And located somewhere in the middle of a barren swamp? It didn't make much of any sense. Why hadn't they appeared on the Tree of Harmony instead of some other location unrelated to where the original Elements formed? She was also trying to wrap her head around the mysterious disembodied voice that had spoken to her only days before. Silver knew Princess Luna was able to seep into ponies' dreams and speak to them, be it a voice or face to face, but what she heard that night sounding nothing like the Princess Luna that sometimes paraded the land of Equestria alongside her elder sister. This voice seemed calmer, more motherlike, if you didn't count when she was growing impatient with Silver for being uncooperative, but even then she was acting like a parent growing impatient with their adolescent. None of it was adding up.

"Silver, are you feeling okay?" a voice echoed through her thoughts and snapped her out of her dreamlike trance. Her eyes remained staring, unmoved to see who had asked if she was alright because she knew it had been Peach Cobbler.

"Fine," she answered blankly. "Why?"

"You've been really quiet," Peach told her softly, stepping away from the other pegasi to have a somewhat private chat, "and you have this 'faraway' look in your eyes."

Blowing some of her blonde mane from her lime green eyes, Silver thought momentarily whether she should tell Peach about her thoughts or not. It wasn't like she didn't know what was happening anymore, and the voice she had heard in her dreams didn't say anything about keeping silent even after she knew what was going on. _Maybe I should,_ she wondered silently, weighing her options, though the obvious choice was staring her right in the muzzle. Perhaps almost literally.

… _It would be best to keep these thoughts from her…_

A voice slipped through the back of her mind, disappearing as swiftly as it had come. It was a voice unlike any Silver had ever heard in her thoughts, yet it sounded strangely familiar to her for a reason she couldn't quite explain. With this sudden idea sinking deeper, shockingly with how quick it had just come and gone, Silver decided it was for the best and promptly produced an excuse for her, frankly, odd behavior.

"Just kind of," she started, managing to hide most of her uneasiness as she went on, "trying to plan out the journey before we rush into that swamp." As a silence drew around them, Peach gave her a half skeptical and half concerned look.

"You're not usually one to worry about something that may well be an adventure," she spoke finally, all the skepticism once traced through her eyes now replaced all with concern. "Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

Silver hesitated briefly, then gave a small and halfhearted nod. She didn't feel like talking at the moment, but Peach eyed her suspiciously and narrowed her light brown eyes. "You're not telling me something, aren't you?" Avoiding eye contact, Silver shook her head meekly in a weak attempt at denial, but Peach wasn't backing down. "Silver, don't lie to me. I deserve to know what's going on with you. I'm your girlfriend for ponies' sake!"

The silvery pegasus felt a lump grow in her throat as she shrunk before Peach. "I-I'm sorry," she stuttered timidly, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes, "but I can't tell you."

Peach Cobbler scoffed and muttered cooly, "Yeah, _that's_ a legitimate reason."

Silver gazed up into the earth pony's harsh eyes, tears spilling onto her cheeks. "You have to believe me, Peach. There's no way I would be able to explain anything to you right now."

"Explain _what_ to me, Silver?" the earth pony demanded sharply. There was a tense, infinite silence where it seemed like the world had been frozen in time. Peach showed no sympathy as she glared with an icy bitterness Silver Stream had never seen her emit.

"I c-can't-"

"Peach?" somepony called from nearby, and all fell into a still and complete silence. The two turned their attention to the three standing a few paces away, their eyes wide with mute discontent as they stared at the two. It was Rainbow Dash who stood just slightly apart from the other pegasi, her muscles just barely tensed. She locked eyes with the earth pony for a rigid moment in time, then said in a low and stern voice, "Leave Silver Stream alone."

From out of the corner of her peripheral vision, Silver watched Peach's eye twitch in cold malice. "What did you just say to me?"

"I said," Rainbow repeated in a manner similar to a low growl, "leave Silver Stream alone."

"Oh, I'll leave her alone," the earth pony said, then continued threateningly with a devilish gleam in her eyes, "right after I knock that ego down a peg."

"You're one to talk," the blue pegasus spat back with equally as much contempt.

Just as the two were poised and ready to lunge into a brawl, Twilight Sparkle had opened the doors to her castle levitating three generic brown saddlebags with her magic. "What's going on here?" she demanded, everypony snapping their gaze onto the alicorn.

"Twilight," Rainbow voiced before Peach got the chance to, "Silver was in trouble and there wasn't anything else I could do!"

"That's a lie," Peach Cobbler protested, glaring over at the pegasus like she had committed some sort of crime. "I was doing nothing to harm anypony."

"You were badgering Silver," Rainbow pointed.

"Badgering, huh?" Twilight mused, her eyes glancing back and forth between the two in an attempt to keep them both in check.

"Nopony is allowed to treat Silver that way," Rainbow said, her eyes turning sharply onto the earth pony. "She deserves better than that!"

Peach growled, her teeth bared in a snarl. "Why you little-"

"Rainbow Dash, Peach Cobbler," Twilight roared from the top of the staircase leading into her castle, "stop your bickering this instant!" Once again, all fell silent as the princess swept her eyes across the five below her with strict and unwavering eyes. "Now, will somepony other than these two-" she motioned a hoof to Rainbow and Peach, "-tell me what happened _without_ an opinionated speculation?"

A silence drew over the group. Silver glanced over at Dewdrop and Sunny Day, and neither seemed willing to speak up. Tears still streamed lavishly from her wet eyes, so she took the corner of her white bandana in her hoof and wiped them cleanly away.

Just as she finished drying her tears, a small voice sounded from a distance away. "They're both kind of right," it said, and Silver turned her eyes up to the gentle calmness it spread over the group. It was Dewdrop, and as the silvery pegasus looked with absent eyes, she met them with her own of soft green. She began explaining mildly, "Peach Cobbler was prodding Silver Stream for something she didn't, or couldn't, say. Peach wasn't showing any sympathy for her, and neither of the two-" the lithe pegasus motioned a hoof to Silver and Peach, "-seemed to notice us-" then indicated herself, Sunny Day, and Rainbow Dash, "-watching them."

"That sounds more like eavesdropping to me," Peach opposed. "What Silver and I have to discuss is none of your business."

"Actually, it _is_ their business," Twilight interrupted, her eyes solely on the single earth pony alone. Making her way down the staircase of her palace, she said pointedly, "For one, Rainbow Dash is undeniably Silver's closest friend, so she has enough right to hear what it is you have to say." As Twilight mosied over to the three pegasi opposite them, Silver saw Rainbow give the earth pony a smug and self-satisfied look. She couldn't help cracking a small grin at her standoffishness. "These two-" Twilight signified Dewdrop and Sunny Day, "-are going to be with her for possibly weeks on end, so it would also be their right to know anything about Silver Stream you want to pry out of her." Turning her rich violet eyes onto the silvery pegasus, she said, "It's your call, Silver; you can say whatever it is you've been asked to say, or…" she paused briefly, pondering for a few seconds before she finished finally, "you can have Peach Cobbler leave."

"Leave?" Peach scoffed. She looked down at Silver, who avoided eye contact as the earth pony said sourly, "There's no way Silver would choose _anything_ over me."

Something snapped inside of Silver. She felt her temper boiling at an alarming rate as hot tears threatened to dampen her cheeks. Peach was absolutely nothing of the pony she thought she was, and she wasn't going to take anymore of what she was putting her through. "Peach," Silver muttered with an edge as sharp as a bolt of jagged lightning, "I think you should leave."

The earth pony froze, muscles tensed and eyes wide. She turned her eyes slowly onto the pegasus in utter disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"You. Should. Leave."

Time froze as the two were sealed in a tense standoff. They're eyes were locked and solid, both scowling hatefully at the other. Nopony dared step in to try and break the two apart. On the contrary, however, it seemed they had already been split apart. Metaphorically.

"You know what?" Peach hissed bitterly. "Fine, I'll leave. I'll leave and never come back. It's for the best, anyway." As the earth pony stalked off, she turned one last final glare at the silvery pegasus and spat, "We were never destined to work out. I'm happy we've finally realized that and are done."

With that, Peach Cobbler walked out of Silver Stream's life forever. Her heart shattered as she watched the pony she thought she had been so madly in love with just leave her so quickly. It was like she had been ripped from her very body.

"Silver," a voice sounded suddenly from her side. Twilight set her hoof gently down on her shoulder and murmured, "I'm so sorry, but it seems like Peach wasn't exactly right for you."

Silver nodded, wiping her eyes on her bandana. "Yeah," she sniffed, "it's okay." She looked up thankfully into Twilight's deep eyes and said peacefully, "At least it's over."

"Let's get going," the alicorn told her softly, patting her shoulder in comfort. She then felt something fall onto her back and over her sides. "Here are your saddlebags," she mentioned to the others, placing the other two bags upon Dewdrop's and Sunny Day's backs. It was time to depart to the train station.

Setting off, Silver Stream began her loop of thoughts yet another time, but this time was just slightly different. With the debacle she had just experienced with Peach, a new set of images and questions had joined the mix in her brain to sort through and figure out. All of this mess was beginning to give the pegasus a nasty headache.

Before she knew it, the train station was right before them. The station was booming with business today, and there was hardly any room to stand, let alone walk through. The group of now five made their way past the sea of ponies and through one of the gates to the opposite platform. It was much less cramped than the platform they had previously been on. Silver sighed in relief at the comfortable amount of space she had been given and smiled to herself contentedly.

"Despite being a _tad_ bit behind schedule," Twilight said with a sheepish grin, and Rainbow Dash scoffed from a few feet away, "we arrived a few minutes early, giving me enough time to prep you before you leave." She paused to take a breath, "You may be wondering about tickets for the train?" Silver, Dewdrop, and Sunny Day each gave Twilight an identically intent look, waiting in silence for an explanation. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Twilight told them, "I've already paid for tickets and they're in your bags now. I've also packed you rations to last you quite a while on this trip, but you shouldn't be worried if you run out. The vegetation in the swamp may very well feed you even without the rations for support." With one final breath, she finished, "You've also each been packed one blanket in case you encounter a chilly night and a detailed map of the swamps for your travel. We'll be awaiting your return as soon as any one of you gets back."

With her debriefing finished, the others still had some time for chat. This, for Silver, would mean just a little bit more time to think, but her developing headache cautioned her otherwise. She determined it would probably be best to just talk to Rainbow Dash for a bit to ease her nerves about the mission and what had happened back at Twilight's castle.

She turned to Rainbow and saw she wasn't looking too confident, either. It wasn't much of a surprise as she was her best friend and would naturally look out for her and keep her out of trouble. That would be impossible now that Silver would be leaving any second now to the Hayseed Swamps with no means of communication to contact Rainbow. Pondering whether or not to bother her, she took the risk and stepped cautiously towards the sky blue pegasus.

"So, I know I'm gonna be leaving here," Silver started slowly, "but I want you to believe that I _will_ make it back, no matter how long it takes."

Rainbow hesitated to look up into her eyes, but when she did, Silver saw they weren't filled with grief or apprehension. They were gleaming faintly of humor.

"So for once it's _you_ going out on the adventure, huh?" she concluded softly, an easygoing smile playing across her face.

Silver was a bit shocked by the unexpected reaction, but she quickly recovered. "Yeah, it's a bit crazy leaving," she admitted, flashing a small smile in return.

"I know you'll come back, Silver," Rainbow Dash told her firmly. "I'd never see a reason why you couldn't." Silver broke eye contact to hide the hot tears brimming at the corners of her eyes as she finished, "You deserve this more than anypony else in Equestria, and you'll do us all proud."

Silver Stream couldn't help cracking an abashed and potentially idiotic smile. "Rainbow Dash," was all she could muster as rivers of tears broke free from her eyes, rolling silently down her face. Leaping forward, she embraced her best friend in a hug. The tears kept flowing as she felt Rainbow wrap her own hooves around her in return. They held each other in silence for what felt like a lifetime to Silver, but they broke apart when the deafening howl of a train whistle drew closer. _Our ticket to destiny,_ she thought, anxious adrenaline coursing through her. The train pulled up to the platform, its brakes squeaking uncomfortably as it came to a stop.

"Dodge Junction," the conductor hollered out to the ponies on the platform. "All for Dodge Junction board here."

"Dodge Junction?" Silver echoed, a confused look about her face.

"It's the closest the train tracks lead to the Hayseed Swamps," Twilight explained quickly. Then, tipping her head to the train, she said, "Better get on before it leaves."

Silver nodded, but hesitated to follow up. Instead she turned around to face Rainbow. The two locked eyes, and after a thick silence drew around them, Silver slowly extended her hoof out to her. "Hoof bump?" she asked expectantly.

Rainbow smiled nonchalantly, then nodded and reached her hoof up to Silver's and replied, "Hoof bump." Then, she finished softly with a light of admiration glowing in her eyes, "Go get 'em, Sil."

Nodding in agreement, Silver responded just as softly, "I will." She turned away, took a deep breath to calm her escalating nerves, then marched on towards the train. For a split second, she had thought about hesitating before climbing aboard, but pushed past the thought and stepped through the open doors of one of the last compartments. Dewdrop and Sunny Day had taken their seats and were conversing in low voices. The scene looked strangely familiar to Silver, somehow. Trying to hide a creeping sense of suspicion, the pegasus shared one of the long seats with Dewdrop, but kept a considerate amount of distance between herself and the pale yellow pegasus for reasons mainly involving her attitude when around ponies she didn't know well.

"What do you think Dodge'll be like?" Dewdrop asked to Sunny Day more than Silver, her tone considerably different than it had been moments ago. Taking a quick glance over across from herself, she saw Sunny shrug and give a muffled reply to show that she really wasn't interested in the subject. Or in the idea of small talk, at the moment. It was odd her attitude hadn't changed, and Silver was beginning to question what they had been talking about before she had come over.

So there wouldn't be any extended periods of silence, Silver Stream spoke up in Sunny's absence. "Rainbow Dash and her friends have been there once," she said, trying not to sound cocky. "She told me about it a while ago. She said it was basically a small, old timey western-ish sort of town surrounded by a cherry farm."

"Sounds like we'll be able to pass right on through Dodge without a hitch," Dewdrop said cheerfully, "unless we wanna end up staying for a day, that is." She turned hopefully to Sunny Day with a wide smile on her face most likely to try and lift her mood.

Taking a short and highly irate glance at Dewdrop, Sunny rolled her bright blue eyes openly and mumbled, "Sure, whatever," bitterly. Dewdrop's buoyant look dimmed slightly at her friend's reaction. Silver Stream was a tad surprised herself. This was unusual behavior for how Sunny Day usually acted: a glowing, sometimes flashy or showy pony with her head in the clouds. Silver had never seen her this down in spirits before, but looking back at the past few hours or the day of the trip to Canterlot, Sunny had been a little too quiet for her standards. Something was off, but nothing had happened recently to put the bold pony in such a bad state that Silver could recall.

… Unless-

"Dodge Junction," she heard the conductor holler from the edge of the platform. "Dodge Junction train leaving momentarily. All aboard that's coming aboard."

Another rush of adrenaline coursed through Silver Stream like a tidal wave. _This is it_ , she thought, trying to stay calm. _I'm leaving for who knows how long to a swamp that supposedly has these new Elements of Harmony_. She turned to her right, gazing out the opposite window that faced the platform. Standing up, she slowly made her way up to it, staring out at the few ponies gathered around the train to see it off. Silver lifted the window up to get a clearer view, and instantly, she found Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, their eyes turned to the train eagerly. She waved her hoof out to them, and Twilight, seeming to have noticed a splash of movement, glanced over. Seeing her triggered a smile, and the alicorn tipped her head in Silver's direction for Rainbow to follow. She turned to the train, her eyes locking with Silver's. She smiled instantly, her eyes gleaming softly as she mouthed from the platform, "I'll miss you."

Returning her smile, Silver mouthed back, "I'll miss you, too."

Just then, the train made a sudden lurch, giving Silver a jolt of surprise. The train slowly began to pull away from the platform. Before it left for good, Silver made one last look out onto the platform and waved her hoof to the two as a parting farewell. They both waved back in hopeful parting as the train gained speed and broke away from the station platform. It chugged humbly along the tracks that would lead Silver, Dewdrop, and Sunny Day to Dodge Junction, where they would then begin their quest to obtain the lost Elements of Harmony.


	5. Chapter 4 -- Conflict in the Caboose

(A/N): Just a filler.

* * *

~ Chapter 4 ~

Conflict in the Caboose

Silver Stream sighed deeply, closing the window as the fields of green began to blur across the landscape. There was no turning back now. No Rainbow Dash to turn to for when she needed it. Just herself and the two other pegasi she'd be making the trip with.

Silver silently made her way back to the others, taking her seat without a word. There was a prolonged silence where none of the three spoke. Then, as if she had been thinking aloud, Dewdrop murmured softly, "I'm sorry about you and Peach."

Silver, shocked at this comment, turned wide green eyes onto the fair yellow pegasus. She stared at her hooves somberly, silent and still. "Wh-what?" Silver stuttered, still unable to believe what Dewdrop had said.

"I mean," she started, turning her eyes up into Silver's, "you two were so close. Then today came and… I guess you saw who she really was." She shook her head, the soft waves of her gentle blue mane framing her face beautifully. "If you need somepony to talk to about it," she started, turning her eyes kindly to Silver's, "I'm here for you. I went through something like that not too long ago, either."

From the other seat, Silver noticed Sunny Day squirm uncomfortably at Dewdrop's words. She then hastily shifted her position to make it seem as if nothing happened.

"Yeah, but," Silver started uncertainly, "are you sure you wouldn't be uncomfortable with me talking about it?"

Dewdrop just smiled weakly. "It wouldn't be any trouble. Besides, the best way to move on from something is to get the feelings you have for it out of your system." Breaking her eyes from Silver's to gaze wistfully out of the train window on her other side, she sighed and continued, "I'm not yet ready to talk about what happened to me, though. Not after he-" Dewdrop cut herself off abruptly. She finished quickly then after, "Nevermind."

Silver Stream cocked her head slightly. "Wait a minute," she started, "you said something about a 'he.'" Dewdrop grimaced at this word, her face scrunched up like she was trying not to cry.

"I-it's not important," she whispered meekly, the bottom rim of her eyes welling up with tears. Silver wanted to reach out to her and comfort the timid pegasus, but she wasn't sure whether she'd accept the gesture or not.

"Are you sure?" she asked after a short period of silence. "If you need to get something off your chest, I'm here to-"

"She said it wasn't important," Sunny Day snapped suddenly. Silver whipped her head to stare at the pony opposite her, her mouth gaping open. Despite her bold behavior, Sunny refused to look the silvery pegasus in the eye. Instead, she shot cool, icy daggers at the window.

"Excuse me?" Silver asked, almost as if she wanted to agitate her.

"I said," Sunny started, turning her chill blue eyes at her with cold rage, "it wasn't important."

Silver, still baffled, scoffed at this remark and pressed on, "How so?"

Sunny Day narrowed her eyes, a snobbish smirk spreading across her face. "Who gave you the right to know?"

A wave of scorching fury coursed through Silver's veins, urging her to get aggressive. It was never in her nature to hurt anypony physically, though. What Silver always relied on was her brutally sardonic way of speech. She was utterly unmatched in her skill of witty comebacks and wisecracks, and many could back her up on this statement.

"Who gave you the right to tell me off in the first place?" Silver Stream rebounded. Sunny Day grit her teeth in resentment.

"I have everything to do with what Dewdrop's talking about," she fumed, her voice rising. Her blue eyes burned into Silver as she continued, "She and I are the only ones who know about-"

"Shut up, all of you," Dewdrop hissed sharply, cutting the two off abruptly. When Sunny Day shot her a severely enraged stare, the yellow pegasus jerked her head tensely back to a pony who had just entered their car from the one ahead of them. _The conductor,_ Silver Stream concluded after noticing his neatly pressed uniform and signature train cap.

"Tickets, ma'ams?" the stallion asked. The three pegasi fished through the T.O.S.A. - Twilight's Organization Seal of Approval - saddlebags, each finding them placed conveniently atop the neatly folded blanket and map in the left saddlebag pouch. The conductor levitated his cap off with his previously concealed unicorn horn, sweeping the tickets from the three to mark the tickets as used. "Have a nice time in Dodge, ladies," he said, placing the tickets back in the saddlebags as he tipped his hat in farewell.

Once he had exited their car, the atmosphere among the group instantly became heavy and tense. Nopony spoke a word or dared make eye contact with another, and that had to be fabricated with an excuse as to why. Silver's happened to be a sudden interest in the stitching and production of her particular saddlebag. She wasn't at all interested in this subject; it was just something to keep her from another confrontation with Sunny Day.

Eyeing a loose end on part of the saddlebag's stitching, she sighed inwardly. _This is gonna be a_ long _train ride._

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Nearly halfway to Dodge Junction, it was decided that this prolonged silence wouldn't help anything on the journey into the Hayseed Swamps. The three then drew out one of their maps to mark out a primary route through the swamps in search of the Elements.

"I guess Twilight forgot to mention the marking utensils she left for us," Silver commented, locating an already sharpened pencil for marking the map. Before handing off the pencil, the pegasus had a sudden thought that she voiced immediately to the others. "Who's going to lead the expedition for the Elements? My opinion is that whoever is leading should mark out the route."

Dewdrop eyed the pencil, then met Silver's eyes with evident certainty. "Isn't it obvious?" When all the grey pegasus did was return a blank stare, Dewdrop rolled her eyes and finished, "It should be _you,_ Silver Stream."

"You think _I_ should lead the journey?" she repeated after a silent moment of contemplation. _Why am I the one most qualified for this?_ she couldn't help but question her own credibility when it came to being a leader.

"Your best friend is an Element of Harmony," Dewdrop explained. "You must know more about these Elements than we do." After an irritated huff from Sunny Day, Dewdrop added, "And if you were so caught up in thoughts of this mission over the past few days, you've got to be extremely mentally prepared for whatever meets us in that swamp."

Silver remained silent, taking in every word the lithe pegasus spoke. It was true she already had some knowledge of the Elements of Harmony just by being best friends with one of the six who represented one at the current time. That gave the team better chances to succeed in their mission to find the lost Elements. Dewdrop's other point made sense, as well. Perhaps worrying about the quest ever since the day of their visit to Canterlot would serve useful as she had been questioning some debatable issues on the entire matter and may be able to develop any plausible answers to such issues as they made their journey.

After mulling over the idea of leadership, Silver Stream nodded her head in agreement and said with a determined gleam in her eye, "I'm willing to take command of the expedition if you think I should be the one to do it."

"Of course we do," Dewdrop replied brightly. There was an odd silence where both pegasi knew somepony should speak, but it shouldn't be either of them as they had both had a turn to voice their minds. Slowly, both turned their gaze silently onto the sole pony who hadn't spoke a word in the matter of marking a route for the expedition of the Elements.

"Sunny?" Dewdrop mumbled slowly. "Is something-"

"Leave Silver to ruin the mission like she did everything else."

Silver Stream felt like a low blow had been hit to her stomach. What did she just say? The atmosphere in the train car instantly turned heavy again. Who would make the next move? _Certainly not Dewdrop,_ Silver thought gravely, watching the small pegasus freeze under the pressure of trying to come up with a way to resolve the situation.

"And what exactly have I done to ruin your life, Sunny Day?" she asked in a high-strung tone, not wanting to start another conflict but not exactly willing to show any sympathy for the way she had been treating her like trash lately.

"Not just _my_ life," the pegasus growled, her usually warm, sky bright eyes turned frigid and sour as the two locked eyes in a cold moment of mutual animosity. Silver could almost see sparks fly with the rough friction in the train car. What had happened to turn Sunny Day so frozen?

Silver's eyes softened, not to kindness, but concern. Something was definitely wrong, but what? And what had she done to turn Sunny against her so cruelly? Whatever had transpired, Silver couldn't continue picking and choosing fights with her; she had to piece together this puzzle before anything rash could happen. "Look, Sunny," she started, her tone clear and firm, "I don't think having an argument with you every 3.7 seconds is going to help us find these Elements. I'll try to help you in any way I can to mend your spirits so long as you stop insulting me." Silver felt her teeth grit at the last few words of her sentence. Wow, she was really tense about this, wasn't she?

"I'm _insulting_ you?" the tan pegasus growled. Her eyes lay upon Silver almost maniacally, and the silvery pegasus was just about on the precipice of uncontrolled fright, a.k.a. getting extremely physical for fear of her own life. "You think you can _help_ me after what you've done? You can never help me!" Sunny's voice had been raised to a threatening shout. "There's nothing you can do to help me or him ever again!" Her hooves were over her mouth in an instant, her blue eyes appalled.

"Sunny Day," Dewdrop breathed from Silver's side, sniffling a few times. Before she knew it, the train car was overcome with uncontrollable sobs and a constant flow of hasty phrases like, "It's okay, Dewdrop. I didn't mean to say that out loud." The racket was enormous, and Silver was actually expecting ponies to flood in from the train car ahead of them to complain about the noise pollution, but none ever did. She covered her ears with her hooves desperately, the noises echoing within her skull painfully until finally-

"EVERYPONY STOP!" she snapped. The ruckus ceased immediately, and the silvery pegasus gave a sigh of relief. "Alright," she began again, softly and slowly, "I'm going to mosey on over to the _opposite_ end of this train car to start mapping us a route through the swamplands, okay? You two-" she pointed her hoof at her companions, "-are going to stay _here_ and work whatever this problem is out, and I don't want to hear _any_ blubbering or fussing while I'm busy. Is that clear?" The two pegasi nodded silently, though Silver could see a spiteful gleam in Sunny Day's eyes. Thankfully, she held enough restraint to keep any nasty comments to herself before the silver pegasus got herself up off the seat and walked away with her saddlebag.

That had been the first time she had ever taken initiative of a situation and followed through with it. Maybe she _was_ meant to be a leader, after all, but she couldn't help but feel guilty about how harsh she had addressed the two. With her mind in the moment, Silver hadn't been thinking of the consequences, specifically how they might treat her in return later on. _Now's not the time for regret, Silver Stream,_ she thought to herself with finality, pushing these concerns aside for something more important: the trek through the Hayseed Swamps.

Taking her sharpened pencil eagerly, she eyed the map for a few fleeting moments. _Let's get cracking._

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

With her map marking done (and her pencil shaved down a quarter of it's original size), Silver went through the pre-planned route one more time in her head. It had to travel most of the swamps, but not so much that it only wasted their time. The pegasus also planned the route in segments so it was possible to pace themselves each day of the journey. She had even written littles notes beside the marked path for later reference. Silver could almost feel Princess Twilight lean over her shoulder to admire her handiwork and say, "Excellent penponyship, Silver Stream! I don't know why I've never made you my second apprentice." Not that Silver wanted to be the apprentice of the famous Princess Twilight Sparkle, though; it was just a little joke she had conjured up in her head.

Breathing out a sigh, she gazed up from her marked map and out into the landscape around the train, which had altered over time into a dry, sandy desert with a few rocky plateaus bordering the horizon in the distance. Silver had heard stories from Rainbow Dash about a tribe of buffalo that lived around these parts and how she and one of her friends, Pinkie Pie, had almost been ambushed by them if it weren't for Spike, Princess Twilight's dragon assistant. All because of a misplanted apple orchard near the quaint town of Appleloosa, too. Quite the tale, she had to admit, but seeing this drastic change in scenery made her realize how lengthy the distance had gotten from her home and her best friend. _Of course_ now _I start missing her, of all the times,_ the pegasus thought dryly to herself. That wasn't what was important, at the moment. If she wanted this plan to go as easily and successfully as possible, she had to keep her mind on the objective at hoof, which was now to…

"Go back to Dewdrop and Sunny Day to go through the map marking and apologize for what I said back there," she muttered to herself, letting her shoulders slump forward in subtle regret. It was as good of a time as any to get it over with, seeing as though she had next to nothing to do after she had just finished the route planning.

Drawing in a lengthy breath, she gathered her things into the saddlebag and stepped back to her fellow travelers. "Um, hi," the silvery pegasus greeted awkwardly, and the two pegasi turned blank eyes onto her. At least it was better than having lasers stared into her forehead, she supposed. "I'm finished with the route marking. How were things over here?"

"Oh, we're fine, Silver Stream," Dewdrop assured her kindly, her face warming up to an easy smile. "We were just worried after a while that we had really upset you."

"Yeah," Sunny Day mumbled quietly from across her, though her tone was sincere this time. She met Silver's eyes with her own of sky bright blue and tilted the line of her mouth in an awkward and apologetic grin. "I'm sorry I've been treating you like yesterday's compost, Silver. I've been going through some… _issues_ as of late, and it wasn't right to take it all out on you."

Silver Stream was genuinely touched by this new change in heart for Sunny Day, and tears almost broke free from her eyes. "Thank you, Sunny," she breathed gently, wiping the wetness from her gleaming orbs with her bandana. "I also have something to apologize for." She sighed for a brief moment while the other two listened intently. "I realize that what I said earlier may have been a bit too harsh, and I'm sorry if I left you with the wrong impression. You're both wonderful ponies, and I'm grateful we're not making this trip alone, but as a team."

Silver concluded her apology, and she almost thought she saw a teary sheen over Dewdrop's placid green eyes. _Aren't we a couple of softies, huh?_ she mused thoughtfully. She could feel the bond between the three strengthen significantly as Dewdrop cried out in pure euphoria, "Group hug!" The three joined together in unity and hope for what was to come.

Silver had to admit that, yeah, it was pretty cheesy, but what else could she say? This was a special moment for them, and it was one of the last few they had to cherish before dark times would come upon them and all of Equestria.


	6. Chapter 5 -- A Day in Dodge

(A/N): Hey, everybody. I'm back from lord knows where with Chapter 5 after, what, three or four months? Maybe more? I apologize for the severe gap in between Chapter 4 and 5, but I promise you that won't happen again. Updates will be more frequent than literal months, and thanks for reading! If you need a bit of context before reading this since it's been a while and you're too lazy to go back and read Chapter 4, Silver and Co. have just arrived in Dodge Junction to begin their quest to find the Lost Elements... or so Silver thinks.

* * *

~ Chapter 5 ~

A Day in Dodge

With saddlebags upon their backs and fences mended between them, the three pegasi departed the train and set hoof upon the modest station platform before them. Dodge Junction certainly brought out Silver's love for the simple and traditional ways of life. She suddenly felt the urge to cozy up to a flaming hearth in a steady rocking chair whilst doing some quilting, but that would have to wait for another time.

"Shall we set off to the Hayseed Swamps?" the silvery grey pegasus suggested, turning to her comrades with a confident gleam in her eye.

"Well, actually," Dewdrop began, her tone a smidge softer than usual, "I thought it would be nice to spend _one_ more day to really prepare for this mission, and what better place to do it than in Dodge?" Her lips curved into a timid smile, her eyes expectant and hopeful. Silver had to admit that she did have a point, and it wasn't like she was completely ready to fling herself and the others into a swamp where basically anything could happen.

She took a moment to take in the easygoing atmosphere that Dodge set upon her. Taking her bright green eyes to the vivid blue sky, she observed the sun's slow descent to the western horizon. It was early in the afternoon, but the pegasus figured they would make greater progress with a good night's sleep and a better idea of the expedition plan. Dodge wasn't exactly an ideal location to rest before initiating their expedition, but they didn't really have many options, at this point. "I suppose we could make some small arrangements," Silver Stream granted, turning her eyes back west where they would soon be headed, muttering in a naive frustration, "but I'll have to redo my plans a bit."

"Oh, don't be a wet blanket, Silver," Sunny Day joked. "You and I both know that we all need this time to recuperate from that train fiasco. I'm with Dewdrop on this one."

If there was a chance of sticking to her original plan to set off westward and begin traveling today, it was certainly gone now. With a count of two against one, Silver would have to concede and allow for a rest in Dodge Junction. "Alright," she gave in finally, nodding her head once to her pegasi companions, "we'll stay one, and only _one,_ night in Dodge."

At Silver's approval, Sunny Day and Dewdrop broke cheery and thankful smiles, easing her own doubts that this wasn't the right call. "Thank you, Silver," the two beamed, then took a moment to gaze from the platform of the faded blue train station at what the town had to offer. Apparently, it didn't have much as Silver waited in silence for a few minutes until Dewdrop asked, "There was a cherry farm around here, Silver?"

The pale yellow pegasus turned soft green eyes back to the silvery pegasus, who had been playing with the white bandana hanging around her neck in boredom. She gazed up from her iconic accessory and nodded her head once. "Yeah, there still is," she replied, tipping her head to the north. "I don't remember the pony who runs it, though. Probably something to do with cherries."

"How about we go there?" Sunny Day suggested, trading a glance with Dewdrop. "I'll bet you a bit and a half they'll have food there."

"Okay, one," Silver interjected immediately, raising her hoof to make a point, "there's no such thing as half bits, so your bet is completely illogical already. Two, Twilight already packed us rations, so I don't think we need to search for anymore food. Three, I'm pretty sure we weren't packed with any bits as we're going into a secluded swamp where no known civilization of ponies exist, so how could we pay for anything we'd want to purcha-?" Silver cut herself off mid-sentence as soon as she saw that Sunny Day and Dewdrop had already started off north to the cherry orchard without her. "Okay, fine, we can go to the orchard, but next time I expect you to _wait_ for me," she said to the nothingness in front of her.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" a male voice spoke from below the platform, and she peered down to stare at a young couple moseying through, their expressions confused at they shed wary eyes on the pegasus. The male wore pretty typical rural country attire with a faded, worn cowboy gambler, a red bandana around his neck, and washed denim vest about his broad frame. The female was fairer than him with a quaint lavender bonnet and an old fashioned dress with plenty of frills to match. Of course Silver would stick out in a peaceful place like this; she was practically oozing modern tomboy with her long, wild mane streaked with a line of bleach white and her wings tipped in a gleaming silver. She wasn't the type of pony one would call "traditional," and now she had been caught talking to herself on top of it in this place where nopony knew her.

"Oh, n-no," she stuttered, her cheeks flushing a bright red in embarrassment. She didn't mind talking to herself; it kept her company when she was feeling lonely. When others caught her in the act, she shut herself up immediately. "I-I'm fine, really. Don't worry, I swear I'm not insane!" Silver called off to the two, who were now scurrying away from her as they pretended they had never met.

Covering her still burning face with a hoof, she sighed deeply and muttered, "You're not on a cloud with the sunset as your only company anymore, Sil." Shaking herself out to try and ditch the humiliation she still felt, she trotted along the station platform, leaping off its edge and taking a turn north to catch up to Sunny and Dewdrop, who were well ahead on their way to the cherry orchard. Though she originally opposed the idea, a tiny part of her knew she wanted to stop by, anyway, so why not give it a chance? _I just hope Sunny doesn't eat anything she's not supposed to,_ Silver thought doubtfully, exhaling another sigh as she continued her trek northward, where the quaint orchard of deliciously plump cherries resided.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

The band of pegasi had arrived at the heart of the orchard, where a tall red barn stood before them. They were surrounded by countless expanses of breathtaking cherry trees, their blossoming pink petals catching the gleaming light of the slowly descending sun beautifully in the tranquility of this environment. Silver almost wished she could stay here permanently if only to drop herself out of society and become a homeless saddlebagger. The only problem with that was she wasn't fond of cherries, so her food supply would become somewhat lacking, to say the least.

"I told you there'd be food here," Sunny Day broke the peaceful silence boldly, smirking as if this fact weren't obvious already.

"It's an orchard, Sunny," Silver countered, rolling her eyes in a subtle way to almost say, "No, really?" Gesturing an exaggerated hoof at the expanse of cherry trees around them, she continued, "Of course they'd have food here. It's literally all around this place." If she had to guess, Silver would probably assume hundreds, maybe even thousands of trees surrounded them in this enclosed space.

"Well, I was still right," the tanned pegasus argued back, sticking her tongue out playfully to ensure that her intentions were lighthearted.

Silver gave a scoff, cracking a grin herself as she eyed Sunny with a tongue-in-cheek sort of scorn. She would allow herself to get in on the immature fun for this day only, but when they were due to set off tomorrow morning, she'd have to temper down the horseplay for this mission to be a guaranteed success. Pun not intended.

"Do you think the farm's owner is here?" Dewdrop asked, her gaze trained on the bright red barn with a curious gleam in her eye.

Silver Stream turned her eyes to the barn herself, tilting her head in thought. "It's possible," she answered, stepping away from the other pegasi. "Maybe we should go up and check."

"You don't have to," a voice called out from behind the group. The three shifted to find a pony trotting up the path toward them. She was an earth pony, a beautiful one, at that. Her pale beige coat shone in the afternoon light, a beauty mark resting on her left cheek just beside her eye. Speaking of her eyes, they were a gorgeously vivid green that sparkled in the sun's radiance, complimented by a fair shade of pink eyeshadow. Her deep cherry red mane that flowed in elegant curls was brought up into a beehive upon her head, yet some strands were held loose or allowed to fall free. To wrap up her image, a headband patterned with bunches of cherries held her beehive together while around her neck was tied a lovely pink neckerchief. Yes siree, this mare fit the western maiden picture quite perfectly.

"Oh, we're sorry for intruding, ma'am," Silver apologized, hurrying back to the others so she could greet this stranger. "We were just passing through when we thought it would be nice to catch a glimpse of this beautiful orchard. You see, we heard of it from a friend before coming here, and-"

"No need to say more, little filly," the mare stopped her mid sentence. Her smile was easy, a simple gesture to say that there were no hard feelings. "Such long explanations don't see the time of day in these parts. Country folk like to keep things simple."

"Ah, I'm sorry," the pegasus apologized a second time, bringing a hoof to her head as a habit when she made a mistake. The mare just laughed. What was so funny to her that Silver wasn't quite catching?

"Come on, now, there ain't no need to apologize so much," the mare said, cocking her head to the side in a sort of amusement. Silver's temper bubbled, but she suppressed it instantly. This was _not_ how she planned to spend her afternoon, bearing the burning embarrassment of being belittled by a rural dweller as Dewdrop and Sunny Day watched.

"Right," she muttered, forcing a friendly smile, "and who exactly are you?"

"Glad you asked," the pony said, taking a hoof to her chest in open pride. "I'm Cherry Jubilee, owner and operator of Cherry Hill Ranch, this here beautiful farm."

"So you run this joint?" Sunny blurted from behind Silver, then let out an over dramatic sigh. "Finally, I'm starving. Where's the eats?"

"Sunny," Dewdrop hushed her, "temper yourself."

"But I'm hungry," the tanned pegasus whined, and Silver's eye twitched in barely restrained anger.

She jumped in surprise when Ms. Jubilee let out a holler of a laugh. "Well, ain't that just the cat's meow?" she whooped. Silver couldn't help but arc an eyebrow in utter disbelief. This orchard pony was really something, alright. "If it's vittles you're lookin' for," she continued after her laughter died down, "I can happily provide."

"While that's awfully nice of you," Silver Stream cut in before Sunny could agree, "we're a bit busy, at the moment, and I'm afraid anything you have to offer we wouldn't be able to-"

"Screw that, I need food!" Sunny exploded, stamping her hooves into the dirt like a filly.

Silver whipped her head around to shoot a cold glare at her. The bulky pegasus shrunk down a bit at her stern gaze, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "May I remind you we have absolutely no budget to spend on any sort of food this orcharder has?"

"Now, now, don't be gettin' your tail in a twist," Jubilee intervened, meandering past the trio. "If it's eats you want, it's eats you'll get."

Sunny's face lit up to its usual glow once more, but Silver couldn't help her will to continue backing her argument. "But we don't have any bits to-"

"Fiddle faddle!" the orcharder silenced her, the easy smile she showcased contorting quickly into a stern scowl. "I don't care if y'all're poorer than a sack of dried beans. Y'all're passerby, and it don't matter to me if you got the dough to pay or not."

The three pegasi fell silent, presumably trying to decipher what Ms. Jubilee had just said. At least, that was what Silver was trying to do. What could she say, orchard speak was tough to follow.

"So," Sunny Day started, her tone soft and slow, "we can have free food?"

"'Course you can," Jubilee answered, her friendly smile returning faster than one could think "chimi-cherry-changa." Yep, that was enough to answer Silver's question. Ms. Jubilee was insane.

"Oh, cool," the tanned pegasus said, her face also brightening as she split from the others to trail Jubilee to the barn door. Silver Stream exchanged a sideways glance with Dewdrop, who merely shrugged and nodded to the barn, suggesting they follow Sunny's lead. Heaving an enormous sigh, the silvery pegasus paced away to the barn with her one companion left in her wake.

"Here's where the magic happens, girls," Ms. Jubilee announced as the group became whole again. What Silver was ultimately expecting to be a profitable, industrial cherry factory where tasty treats were made for the hungry and demanding society turned out to be a large and nearly empty room with vintage wallpaper and flooring. The only objects in the whole room where a giant wheel, sort of like the one you would buy for a pet hamster, only with solid wooden sides in place of rungs, a short conveyor belt that stuck out of a nearby wall only about a good ten feet, and two bins placed to its side, one trimmed with red at its opening and the other with yellow. Both were pictured with a bunch of two cherries corresponding to the bin's color.

"Very…" Silver started, pausing for a moment to produce the right word to sum up her entire thoughts, "simplistic."

"Like I said," Jubilee said, her voice rather loud as it echoed through the room, "we country folk keep things simple."

"Clearly," Sunny Day commented, lifting herself from the ground with her wings to examine the conveyor belt. "This thing doesn't even go anywhere. Isn't there supposed to be something, you know, at the end of it?"

"Fillies," the orcharder scolded mildly, shaking her head, "if I put something at the end of the belt, the cherries would get all mixed up like veggie chunks in guacamole."

"Wait, you put cherries on the conveyor belt?" Silver asked. "What for?"

Cherry Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Y'all and your fancy modern machinery forget to appreciate the old fashioned ways of gettin' things done," she muttered bitterly as she stepped towards an open doorway. "Will one of you get in that there wheel?"

"Dibs!" Sunny called, zooming over to the faded blue wooden wheel. Placing herself down in the wheel, she turned excited eyes to Ms. Jubilee and asked, "Now what?"

"Now you wait. _Patiently_ ," she stressed this last word, stepping through the doorway to leave the three unsupervised. What evil deeds could they accomplish while the rural orcharder was away? Obviously not much as there were only so many items in the room, unless Silver wanted to attempt trapping Sunny Day or Dewdrop under one of the nearby bins. She could practically hear their pleas as she pictured herself standing triumphantly over the successfully captured crew, but she was just too sweet to go through with such a dastardly scheme.

"Who wants to play 'capture the unfortunate soul under a bin?'" Sunny voiced.

"That's just what I was thinking!" Silver admitted, happy she wasn't the only one who found the idea of imprisoning her friends under large bins amusing.

"I-I'd rather not," Dewdrop stammered, obviously flustered at the pair's frankly sadistic idea.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Sunny told her, and the frail pegasus's eyes widened in utter fear.

Just then, Jubilee was heard hollering from the next room over, "Start walkin', Sunshine!" An almost silent sigh of relief escaped from Dewdrop's mouth.

"On the wheel?" Sunny shouted back.

"What else would I mean?" Cherry Jubilee questioned sharply.

"Alright, alright, sheesh," the pegasus muttered under her breath, walking in place upon the now spinning wheel. The conveyor belt in turn began its revolution, and out from the opening in the wall it was attached to appeared an assortment of red and yellow cherries.

"You can stop walking, for a moment," Ms. Jubilee told her as she reappeared in the doorway once more. As Sunny Day brought the wheel to a gradual stop, the earth pony trotted over to the belt scattered with cherries, tossing her deep red mane aside as she positioned herself opposite the side with the colored bins. "Kick those hindquarters into gear, Sunshine," she then ordered. "Give me an easy trot."

"Will do!" Sunny Day put the wheel into motion, turning it at a slightly faster pace than she had gone before. The conveyor belt creaked to a start, and Cherry Jubilee began her work. Directing cherries easily into their corresponding bins, her actions seemed so natural, almost graceful. Years of experience had taught her efficiency, balance, and accuracy, and it certainly showed as Silver and Dewdrop watched on with mouths agape.

As the last of the cherries were sorted, Cherry Jubilee wiped her brow with a hoof and gave a holler of a laugh that reverberated for several seconds after. "And _that_ , little fillies," she said with enough ego to spot from a mile away, "is how it's done."

"... Wow," was all Silver could manage to say.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

After a full day of exploring the cherry orchard and even helping Ms. Jubilee with more of her work as they weren't ingrates or freeloaders, the trio agreed it was time to return to Dodge Junction. The sun was setting westward, and it would no doubt get dark if they didn't get a move on soon.

Despite Silver Stream's first impressions, the day had turned into a fun and relaxing outing for the few. They were granted a scenic tour that Cherry Jubilee gave them of her own accord, taking time out of her schedule to give back to them for the help they were back at the barn. She was even so kind as to send them off with some tasty cherry treats all nicely wrapped so they wouldn't spoil. Maybe Jubilee _wasn't_ as insane as Silver had originally thought.

 _She's still insane, though,_ she thought silently. It was now currently nighttime, soft light from the partial moon setting Dodge in a peaceful glow. The three had managed to book a bedroom for a night at the Dodge Junction Bed 'n' Breakfast by explaining to the manager their mission assigned to them by Princess Twilight Sparkle, and the stallion generously allowed them a night's stay. He gave them a three cot bedroom for the night, and in exchange they offered up a few of the treats Jubilee had sent them off with. Their bags were getting a little heavy, anyway, and they didn't want to leave him without expressing their gratitude.

Silver gazed off into the desert night with a hazy look in her lime green eyes. As fun as today had been, they couldn't put off their mission any further. It would soon be time to start the journey, keeping in check her team's progress towards their ultimate goal, the safety of her colleagues, the dangers that could reside in the swamplands… the sinking feeling that something was not at ease developing in the pit of her stomach. _Everything will be fine, Sil,_ she told herself in an attempt of to reassure her own fears and doubts. _You're a greater leader. You have everything under control. We'll be fine. You'll be fine._

"Silver Stream," a soft voice sliced through her thoughts. The silvery pegasus snapped from her train of thought, turning her head to find Dewdrop at her side with a delicate hoof placed on her shoulder. "Don't you think it's time we get some rest?" she asked so softly Silver almost didn't catch her words.

A silence drew over them before Silver realized she was holding her breath tensely. Exhaling to relieve her tension, she nodded in agreement. "You're absolutely right," she said, and Dewdrop's soft green eyes reflected a warm glow. For once, it didn't seem she felt the need to argue back, which it seemed the pale yellow pegasus appreciated greatly.

"I hope you guys sleep well," Sunny Day told them from beside her cot, but continued talking to mutter something incoherent that neither Silver nor Dewdrop could hear as she kept her eyes on the two pegasi.

Silver Stream couldn't help but feel a little creeped out at her behavior. "Uh, could you repeat that last part again?" she requested anxiously.

"Oh, n-no," Sunny declined, shaking her head in an almost sporadic manner, "it was nothing. Let's just get to bed, huh?" In the dimness of the bedroom, Silver could barely make out the intense blues of Sunny's eyes, but something about them seemed… different.

 _It's just the darkness playing tricks on you, Sil,_ she scolded herself mutely for falling victim to the likes of her own active imagination. _There's no time to waste worrying about the shadows casting deceitful impressions. You've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow._ The three climbed into their cots, the creaks from their metal frames letting each other know they were still getting comfortable. Once everyone was situated, Silver Stream murmured a soft goodnight to her team, receiving only sleepy hums in response. Their replies scarcely registered as Silver succumbed to sleep's lulling spell.

…

 _A scene blots in from the darkness, a white dot painted in the sky casting streams of light upon Silver's surroundings. Trees with thick, dark leaves form around her, encompassed within bushes and dense undergrowth above rich, loose dirt and rocks. The pegasus stands on a dirt path, unknowing to this mysterious world around her. She hears the far off cry of birds and the chirping of insects nearby. All is calm and at peace in this world._

 _To her left, the trees split open. A Timberwolf with wood of a muted purple, eyes of burning fire, lets out an awful wail, and the sky of once dazzling blue bleeds a swirl of crimson and inky blank, the sun drowning in corruption. The earth shakes beneath the beast's mighty cry, yet the pegasus remains stationary. The wooden monster lunges from the trees, a savage hunger shining in its evil specks of eyes. Silver ducks in fear, anticipating the pain that would soon sear through her body like a hot blade._

 _The mauling never comes. The pegasus peeks out from her hooves to find a missing Timberwolf and a new setting. She still lies in this forest, of sorts, but with a different arrangement of vegetation. A relief washes over her, and a gleam from the dirt catches her eye. A knife. It rests in the dirt, covered in dried mud and… something else. It rises from the dirt and floats easily over to Silver, who finds nothing strange about this phenomenon. An otherworldly light emanates from a small patch where the blade is still clean. It acts like a sort of portal as Silver is sent plunging through it, spinning wildly as she tries to determine where up and down exist in this "in between."_

 _She lands heavily on her hooves, the light from the knife now directly before her. The glowing object is hazy with unclear borders. Silver steps closer, noticing that with each step the outline of what lies ahead grows more definite. With a few more paces forward, a heavenly tree shines with a glorious light. It appears to be grown of crystal or some sort of illusive gemstone. A moment passes, the ground rumbles, and the tree shatters into millions of sparkling pieces. The force of the wreckage sends Silver blasting backwards, crystal shards glittering like stars all around her._

 _Fragments meld into the expanding blackness, and a galaxy is born. The pegasus slowly comes to a stop, floating in the infinite cosmos, free of any care. A mist develops before her, cast in a soft pink glow from the glimmering stars in the void. The mist gently grows, and an angelic alicorn bursts into view. She stands at four times Silver's size, a divine mane of the deepest violet and glistening white. She expands her cream colored wings with tips of rich prussian blue, and they tower over the insignificant pegasus, partially blocking the warm light which gleams from behind the alicorn. Her closed lids open at last, and pure white light spills from their depths. Whiteness floods Silver's view, and she drops into a nonexistent plain once more._

 _She places her hoofs firmly on an unseen surface. She gazes around to find a perpetual expanse of white, but hears her name called from a distance away. Her sight shifts to find… her. Rainbow Dash. She's standing fifty feet away, and Silver finds herself walking, trotting, full on galloping to her… but her hooves. Murky black pools at their base, and it draws out further at an alarming rate when the silvery pegasus notices, killing any and all light. It engulfs the pure whiteness, and black is her reality. Two blood red eyes like a snake's pierce through the darkness, and a creature clad in dark grey chrome armor emerges from the shadows. It looks familiar, yet utterly overtaken by bloodthirst. It's teeth glow wickedly in the gloom, and it releases a bone shattering cackle._

 _Silver's ears ring in disagreement, but the laughter continues. High pitched and shrill, like nails on a chalkboard. Her head spins, and another voice joins the first. This one is deeper, more sinister, and soon grows to overcome the first as the creature clad in armor draws back into the blackness, though its eyes remain. Crimson is replaced by abysmal violet that, even in this deepest night, rips through the pegasus with ease. Her heart hammers loudly in her ears while a far off melody drifts through the clamor. The laughter, the rhythm, the melody mesh into an evil, erratic composition. Silver can't keep her grip on consciousness, her head swimming, swaying, trying not to sink under. It's a useless effort, her eyes roll back unwillingly._

 _She's gone._

…

"…-ver."

A voice called through the dark. Who was it? Silver didn't know and frankly didn't care. She just wanted to sleep off whatever freakishly bizarre reality she had just lived. Good thing it was time for bed…

Wait a minute.

"Silv-… Silver…" the same voice persisted. It wasn't time for bed at all, was it? "Silver, come on, it's time to get up."

Despite her own will to ignore anything that denied her more sleep, Silver Stream fluttered her eyes open, letting them adjust to the calm morning light sifting in through the bedroom window. _Right,_ she remembered, _the Bed 'n' Breakfast. That_ was _a dream, after all._ She stared with blank eyes at the ceiling, contemplating what she just witnessed.

"Oh, good, you're not dead," Silver heard Dewdrop murmur in relief, who it seemed had been the one attempting to wake the pegasus from her slumber. Such a sweetheart.

"Thank you for waking me, Dewdrop," the silvery pegasus mumbled, suppressing a deep sigh that she didn't want to have directed at the kindhearted pegasus.

Dewdrop accepted her thanks with a pleased smile, which faded quickly when she saw the expressionless emotion Silver showcased. "Is something the matter?" she asked gently.

"Hm?" she hummed, not really paying attention to what the small pegasus was saying. Her eyes were drawn into Dewdrop's of pale green, and Silver saw how her eyebrows furrowed together in sincere concern. "Oh, no," she revised her response, "nothing's wrong."

"You're certain?" the fair yellow pegasus prodded, just to be sure.

Silver released a well overdue sigh. Dewdrop didn't deserve to be left in the dark.

"Just… Just a dream I had."


	7. Chapter 6 -- Non-six-ical Sense

(A/N): This chapter was originally supposed to be WAY different than what it ended up to be, but with the writing slowly descending into a place I've never dared trek, I had to make a few changes to the plan, so A Quest of Bravery inevitably gets one more chapter. Hooray! This is probably the only time my writing will ever get this wacky and unreasonable, but hey, it's Chapter 6. What was I supposed to do? Anyway, enjoy the story! Remember to like and follow if you wanna see more, and maybe leave a review on what you think so far. Any theories? I'd like to know! Now, enough of my rambling (I'm getting more and more like impressionsguy every day); on with Chapter 6!

* * *

~ Chapter 6 ~

Non-six-ical Sense

"Remind me again why we got up so early?" Silver Stream muttered to Dewdrop as the three pegasi set off westward from Dodge Junction's limit to the Hayseed Swamps. She had been awake for about and hour and was still trying to rub the sleep from her heavy lidded eyes while Dewdrop and Sunny Day looked fine. Maybe that dream, or more frankly nightmare, had taken a greater toll than she had originally thought.

"Silver," Dewdrop responded in her soft and affable voice that the silvery grey pegasus had gotten quite fond of listening to, "it was _your_ idea to wake up early."

Silver let out a lethargic yawn. "Was it?"

"Yup," Sunny chimed in, walking along Silver's right. "If I recall, you said, and I quote, 'So we don't end up immediately dead when we set hoof into the swamps, I'm ordering you all to bed early, eight p.m. sharp, so you sissies can get your rest.'"

"Now, Sunny Day," Dewdrop scolded mildly, "I don't think that's _exactly_ what Silver said."

"You know, knowing me," Silver Stream interjected, chuckling softly at Sunny's impression of herself, "that's probably what I ended up saying, in which case I severely apologize."

"Aw, it's okay, Sil," the tan pegasus excused her, a petty one, at that. This charade was merely a joke, after all. "Dewdrop and I know you didn't mean to hurt our feelings."

Silver was overtaken in an uncontrollable fit of giggling. Sleeplessness had an odd tendency of making her extremely loopy and easily amused. This clearly showed with how quickly the silvery pegasus gave into spurts of laughter at a joke so idiotic.

… _Stay focused. Success relies on your firm leadership and guidance…_

Silver Stream almost stopped in utter shock. That voice… it was the same one she had heard just yesterday back in Ponyville. The one that had told her to keep her concerns a secret from Peach Cobbler. The reason why there was an argument, because of a bodiless voice that was probably the work of Silver's own imagination. First the dream foretelling the trip to Canterlot, then a voice that just popped up whenever it deemed fit, and finally a cryptic nightmare the pegasus didn't know how to interpret or where to begin. Silver would have to book a _long_ therapy session once she got home.

"Yo, Silver?" a call cut through her ponderings, bringing her back to reality.

"Uh, wh-what?" she replied, failing to contain the stutter in her voice.

"What shut you up? Better late than never, I guess." Sunny Day snickered at her depricative joke, thinking Silver would automatically join in as she had been in such a good mood. Not anymore.

The grey pegasus snapped stern eyes onto Sunny, her jaw set. "Excuse me," she began in an impatient and irate tone, "but I am your leader, and you will _not_ belittle me like that."

Sunny Day drew back slightly at this sudden change in emotion. Still appalled, she mumbled under her breath, "Geez, bipolar much?" and turned her grumpy blue eyes elsewhere.

Silver released a sharp puff of air through her nose, ignoring Sunny's aside completely as she trained her eyes westward towards their destination. "Dewdrop," Silver addressed, "your map?"

Dewdrop was silent. "Oh, yes, of course," the pale pegasus replied suddenly, unlatching her left saddlebag pouch. A moment of gentle rustling filled the air before Dewdrop produced her map, which she had willingly offered to be marked during the train ride from the day before. She turned the map over to Silver without another word, afraid that if she spoke out of turn Silver would snap at her, too.

Several seconds passed where Silver studied the map, blocking out the world around her to concentrate solely on the search for the Elements. That and the fact that this map in particular was misprinted to read "Haysead" and not "Hayseed," which agitated the pegasus now that she was in a horrible mood.

"Who in Equestria's sake can miss a spelling error as obvious as that?" she muttered.

"Did you say something, Silver Stream?" Dewdrop asked meekly.

"Nothing important," she responded dryly, returning the map without a word about it.

"As usual," Sunny Day interjected, her tone sour and intentionally contemptuous.

" _Again_ with the insults?" Silver said, her voice rising at least a few notches in volume. After the first snide remark, she thought Sunny would get the idea she didn't want to hear any more. The memo apparently didn't get through. "You're stoking the fire," she added through grit teeth.

"You're the one who suddenly decided to have a stick shoved up your-"

"OKAY, let's not go there," Dewdrop had wedged herself between the two, desperately trying to keep them separated so they wouldn't cause any harm to each other. At least not physically. Once it was confirmed that bloodshed would not be an issue, the yellow pegasus breathed a sigh that was both a mixture of relief and exhaustion. "Silver, Sunny," she spoke, turning to each as she said their names, "fighting constantly isn't a very effective method to resolve your problems. In fact, I'd say it's only making them worse."

"No, really?" Silver Stream countered sarcastically, but she knew Dewdrop had a valid point. Despite her efforts to remain in Sunny's favor, there was always something to set either herself or the tanned pegasus off, which would then result in an inevitable brawl of some sort between them. Silver's attempts would be for naught, and tension would strain the whole group. Dewdrop was a neutral party to the situation but would constantly be affected in some negative way by the arguing or the insulting. In this condition, how could they deem themselves worthy of any kind of Elements?

"It's definitely not my fault we're stuck like this," Sunny Day disputed, shooting Silver a fierce glare from where she now sat. "She's the one who had to turn all high and mighty on me."

"You see, right there," Dewdrop pointed out calmly. "That's the problem."

"Problem?" Sunny questioned. "Please, do tell, O Mighty Wallflower."

"Sunny Day," Dewdrop remained steadfast, "the insults do _nothing_ to improve the plight, so I suggest you quit now while you're ahead."

 _Wow,_ Silver thought in astonishment, _Dewdrop can really take charge when she wants to._ The silvery pegasus was thankful for Dewdrop's will to stay calm in situations like these. It made a nice contrast to Sunny's budding brash behavior, which was starting to get a little too out of hoof these days. Silver couldn't help but wonder whether or not there was a reason for her change in attitude between these past few days and before she knew any knowledge of the Lost Elements. What was it that Sunny said on the train again?

… _I've been going through some…_ issues _as of late…_

Issues was how she described it. If there was any hope of a connection, it had to be hidden in the supposed problems she had claimed to be going through. The flaw in this conclusion was that if Silver even wanted to help, maybe give her a little emotional support on the matter, more than likely Sunny would resist, especially if the sentiment came from her. After trying once to console her, she definitely wasn't gonna try again anytime soon.

"Why am _I_ the one getting scolded here?" Sunny's sharp voice broke through Silver's train of thought, startling her back into reality. "What about Silver? She's to blame, too!"

Dewdrop released a low, impatient growl. From where the silvery pegasus sat, she couldn't catch a glimpse of her expression, but she could only imagine how cold and merciless it had become. It was evident she was trying her best to remain in check with herself, but if Sunny kept up this act, there was no telling where Dewdrop would go. After all, Silver had never seen the limits of her anger as she usually seemed so admirably tolerant and forgiving of others. "Yes, Silver Stream is partly at fault," the pegasus admitted, her voice still temperate but her wings now tensed, "and yet you still seem to be blissfully ignorant of your own guilt."

Sunny Day prepared to rebut, but Dewdrop quickly stopped her. "No, you just sit there and listen for a second," she ordered sharply, which somehow managed to finally shut Sunny up. "It's clear you're going through something difficult, and that's okay because life isn't always this happy and magical place where everything goes the way you want it to." She released a heavy sigh. "Look, this negative output you're giving off, it's fine to do on your own, but it's just downright selfish to act this way to us-" she motioned with a hoof towards Silver and herself "-and expect us to tolerate it because you can't get it through your head that the world does _not_ revolve around you and your mood swings."

Silver appreciated this long overdue lecture, but perhaps she was being just a hair too harsh on Sunny. "Dewdrop-"

"Silver Stream, this is _my_ life lesson and I'd like to keep it that way."

Silver's jaw snapped shut. _That wasn't what I was intending to do, but I can see you're not in the mood for any interruptions,_ she commented internally, watching Dewdrop's gaze return to Sunny Day's silent form. _I'll just let you chew out Sunny for me, and hopefully you'll resolve all the conflict as an added bonus. Who's an amazing leader? Oh, that's right. I am._ She thought this last part with a self satisfied grin that in all honestly probably looked really strange given the current circumstances, but what did Silver care? … Actually, for a lot of things. A healthy lifestyle, her relationships, making certain her quiz pencil was always placed next to her essay pencil and that the essay pencil was pointed at the-forget it, let's just move on.

"In conclusion," Dewdrop's voice slipped through Silver's wandering thoughts, "you may be feeling like everypony is conspiring against you, but that's just simply not the case. The moral I will now relay can be expressed easily in the form of a song."

"Oh, boy, here we go," Sunny Day groaned.

There was a short silence before a single carefree note was strummed in a simple pattern, soon joined by another in a happy and lighthearted chord. Silver, confused as to what was causing this music, turned her wandering eyes to find Dewdrop with what appeared to be a ukulele. She sat down as she played, alternating chords in a common time fashion as she rocked back and forth with every beat she plucked.

"… Where exactly did you get the ukulele?" she questioned, eyeing the instrument with clear suspicion.

Dewdrop persisted her strumming as she turned kind and slightly elusive green eyes to the silvery pegasus. "All logic is discarded when the situation calls for a song," she answered simply.

Silver's eyes glossed over. Her brain flipped over a table in rage and gave up on all reasoning and methodical explanation the universe possessed in that moment. Maybe this particular instance was a time where normal and rational thinking had to be substituted for a little something more… unorthodox. A.K.A., random ukuleles.

"Fine, whatever, just sing your song," she submitted crossly.

Dewdrop strummed a soft riff, pausing to respond in an upbeat voice that had Silver on the verge of gagging, "Gladly!" The playful chords resumed, and the pegasus began to sing her song with them.

 _We all know that when life is slow,_

 _We all feel low and gloomy._

 _But then we soar and get our spirits up._

There was a brief interlude between lyrics where Dewdrop had the opportunity to show off her vocals through the use of improvisation. In Silver's opinion, all it was doing was wasting time.

 _Hey, it's true. You know you two_

 _Are feeling blue, so just cue me_

 _To help you soar and get your spirits up._

Dewdrop ended the song with another ukulele riff, murmuring a delicate thank you for no apparent reason. Well, that was an interesting way to spend 90 seconds of Silver's life. In retrospect, this entire experience seemed a little _too_ out of sorts. There had to be some explanation for this occurrence, like a shifting in the balance, an act of chaos, a larger entity that was scripting her every action at the drop of a hat like Silver was in some kind of sto-

"Silver Stream."

Silver's vision snapped. She stood between her two companions, Dewdrop placed to her left while Sunny was off to her right. This seemed… familiar.

"Silver, are you alright?" Dewdrop's voice finally came through. The silvery pegasus shifted her gaze to her and cocked her head in confusion. Dewdrop mirrored her actions, which seemed equally perturbed.

"U-uh," Silver muttered, her eyes glossing over slightly, "what exactly just happened?"

"'What just happened?'" Sunny Day repeated. "The only thing that's happened all morning is this walking."

Silver Stream shook her head slightly. "No, no," she denied softly, "that can't be right."

A silence fell between them, nothing to be heard but the breeze through the grassy field as the trio trekked onward. Dewdrop and Sunny Day exchanged concerned and puzzled looks during this quiet. Silver was busy pondering the previous events and why she was now back _here._ It didn't make any sense, but neither had anything else this morning. Perhaps it was an after-effect of the nightmare on her senses, or her drowsiness and lack of sleep? Yeah, that had to be it. After all, it wasn't unusual for these symptoms to occur in a circumstance like this. _Classic Silver Stream,_ she admonished herself silently, _you_ always _have to jump to conclusions all willy nilly._

Breathing a steady sigh, Silver Stream broke the silence gently. "Ignore my strange behavior, guys. I'm just a little tired, is all; I must've just been spacing out."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Sunny agreed, nodding her head.

"Well," Dewdrop started, her tone careful, "as long as you're sure nothing's wrong, I suppose it's alright."

Silver's easy grin faded just slightly. _As long as you're sure nothing's wrong…_

"Everything's fine, Dewdrop," she dismissed this line quickly, not wanting to take any more time to dwell on the topic. "Let's continue the walk."

Dewdrop and Sunny Day exchanged glances with each other once more, the lithe pegasus's eyebrows cinched together while the bulky pegasus returned a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. The group was washed in peaceful quiet again. However calm the atmosphere outside appeared, it couldn't help the storm of emotions growing darker and harsher within Silver Stream…

… and not only Silver Stream.


End file.
